Cyber warfare from Clausewitz’s perspective: a case study on Stuxnet
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.2446-5240.malala.2024.213860Keywords:
Clausewitz, Cyber, Middle East, Military Sciences, StuxnetAbstract
In research on the Middle East, there is a tendency and preponderance for studies of interstate wars that have plagued the region for decades. Having said that, in recent times, with the accelerated process of technological development and the impact of the relationship between science and war, confrontations have been acquiring new elements, without moving away from the clausewitzian maxim that war is the continuation of politics with the mixture of other ways. Therefore, nowadays, rapid scientific progress, with emphasis on cybernetic issues, presents crucial components for achieving the military and political objectives underway in a war. In this sense, this research proposes to answer the following question: can the Stuxnet case be characterized as an act of war, according to Clausewitz’s perception? Thus, it is based on the clausewitzian understanding that war is a political act, with the aim of disarming the opponent and imposing their will. Based on this, this article observes and analyzes how the development of this worm is constituted and applied, being able to understand whether it constitutes an occurrence of an act of war. The hypothesis developed, which is intended to be corroborated, presents that Stuxnet can be characterized as an act of war, taking into account that it was a political act with the intention of forcing its purpose on the opponent. The results reveal a contemporary approach, without ignoring the contributions of the past, by highlighting this relationship between war and cyber technology. Based on this panorama, the work consists of a discussion with a single case study, in the area of Military Sciences, aiming to work with the Stuxnet episode that had Iran as its main target, in the early 2010s.
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