Deterrence in cyberspace

a silver bullet or a sacred cow?

Ewan Lawson

pp. 431-436

in: Mariarosaria Taddeo (ed), Landscaping cyber deterrence, Philosophy & Technology 31 (3), 2018.

Abstract

This commentary briefly reviews the challenges associated with the concept of cyber deterrence. It considers the concept of deterrence more broadly before identifying the specific issues that make both deterrence by denial and by punishment particularly difficult in cyberspace. However, overall, it argues that the concept is valid and indeed essential in contributing to delivering strategic stability.