Identifying cyber strategies vis-a-vis cyber power

The rhetoric over the rate with which state-sponsored or state-endorsed cyber attacks has grown dramatically in the past years. Increasing dependence on information communication technologies by both state and non-state actors; compounded further by the low-cost of entry and the challenge of attribution within the cyber domain have all but assured that this phenomenon would continue in the foreseeable future. While there is no shortage of literature that discusses the benefits and ease with which these events occur within this domain, their dynamics have yet to be studied through the lens of cyber power. Through the analysis of state cyber power vis-a-vis historical cyber conflicts between states, the study identifies cyber strategies that states may use against each other. The findings provided by this study may go on to aid in establishing appropriate controls to not only mitigate the possible impact of future cyber conflicts but may also lead to the creation of effective deterrence mechanisms.