The Dark Visitor

Reading back through The Science of Military Strategy, published by Military Science (PLA academic wing) 2005, there were a few passages that are of interest. Does this have anything to do with Chinese hackers? Yes, no, maybe. It does provide insight into the official thinking of the PRC military on cyber warfare and information operations. Could the Red Hacker Alliance, a civilian organization, be instantly inducted into a military operation? Yes, without a doubt.

Chapter 16, under strategic information operations - Cyber Warfare:

“Cyber warfare is a general name for all kinds of operational actions taken in cyber space.  Regarding computer systems and networks as the main targets, cyber warfare uses advanced information to disintergrate, damage, or destroy key computers and computer networks as well as information stored in them.  Cyber warfare is a brand new operational pattern that has developed in the context of global cyberization.Cyber warfare consists of two types: cyber attack and cyber protection.   Cyber attack includes virus attack and hacker attack.  Computer virus attack refers to operational actions that use computer virus to destroy or tamper information stored in computer systems so that the computer systems cannot work properly. In the military field, the core equipment of military information systems and cyberized weapons are all likely targets of computer virus attack. Computer hacker attack refers to those actions taken by hackers to intrude upon and destroy the opponent’s cyber systems.  For example, when NATO was launching air attacks on Yugoslavia in 1999, the computer experts of Yugoslavia intruded into the command and control system of US Roosevelt aircraft carrier and caused its temporary communication failure. With the rapid development of cyber attack means, cyber protection becomes increasingly important.  As the core equipment of modern command and control systems, computer systems must be protected so that they can effectively defend against the attacks of hackers and ensure the proper functioning of command and control systems.  As a pattern of operations, cyber warfare does not involve civilian cyber attacks that are not used for military purposes.”

(all emphasis mine)

That last sentence has always puzzled me, it is either worded very badly or very well…can’t decide. It seems to imply that they won’t use cyber attacks on civilians but actually limits nothing as long as it is for military purposes. Sigh.The graphic I picked for this article…yeah. I found it in a blog that had the caption “Taiwan will lose this unprecedented information war very miserably.”