Information Warfare Research

Last Updated: Sun Jul 15 17:17:51 UTC 2012

Information Warfare Research

Information Theory, Strategy, Hypergames, Networked Systems

Introduction

The four canonical strategies of Information Warfare provide a rigorous and mathematically supportable theoretical basis for the analysis of a wide range of problems involving deceptions and other forms of manipulating information in survival contests. These strategies, rooted in Shannon's information theory, have been shown to provide a robust model for dealing with problems spanning biological, social, computing and military systems.

Hypergames are meta-games which permit modelling of deception and misperception. This area of research has been largely dormant since the 1980s. Current research involves exploration of the utility of hypergames in modelling Information Warfare, biological systems and the evolutionary implications of hypergames.

Large systems such as economies or military forces often exhibit unusually complex behaviours. Historical models for the latter include Lanchester's exchange rate equations, or the application of Metcalfe's Law to the modelling of networked systems. Further research is needed to fully quantify the properties of such systems.

Information Warfare in Biology: Nature's Exploitation of Information to Win Survival Contests

Infowar Teaching Materials

An Quantitative Introductory Course in Information Warfare

[Honours Advanced Module CSE 468 Information Conflict Semester 1 2006]

Topic Schedule:

Lecture Number	Lecture Topic
1	Introduction and overview - Lecture Notes
2	Shannon's information theory concepts - Lecture Notes
3	Basic game theory concepts - Lecture Notes
4	Four canonical strategies of information conflict vs Shannon's information theory - Lecture Notes
5	Compound information conflict strategies and using graphs to model these - Lecture Notes
6	Hypergames vs information conflict strategies - Lecture Notes
7	Evolutionary nature of information conflict and biological examples - Lecture Notes
8	Forms of information conflict, Class I, II, III, IV info rmation warfare, denial of service attack classification; Analysis and modelling of information conflict attacks and techniques - Lecture Notes
9	Classical deception techniques, perception management, propaganda, advertising - Lecture Notes
10	Information conflict vs copyright, privacy, spam, espionage, surveillance,hacking and cyberwar, viruses/worms, and identity theft - Lecture Notes
11	Information conflict vs basic concepts and risks in computer security and encryption - Lecture Notes
12	Problems arising in law enforcement and organisational security due to the proliferation of information conflict techniques - Lecture Notes
13	Revision - Lecture Notes

Infowar and Related Publications

Kopp, Carlo, Information Warfare: A Fundamental Paradigm of InfoWar, Journal Paper, Systems, Auscom Publishing Pty Ltd, Sydney, NSW, February, 2000, pp 47-55. Paper (HTML).

This is the original paper in which the four canonical strategies were first fully defined.

Kopp, Carlo; Mills, Bruce, Information Warfare And Evolution, Conference Paper, Proceedings of the 3rd Australian Information Warfare & Security Conference 2002. Slides (PDF).

This paper reviews the four canonical strategies of Information Warfare and asserts that Information Warfare is an artifact of evolution in biological systems: the use of Information Warfare techniques by organisms aids survival in a competitive environment. A range of specific biological examples are explored to support this assertion.

Kopp, Carlo, Shannon, Hypergames And Information Warfare, Conference Paper, Proceedings of the 3rd Australian Information Warfare & Security Conference 2002. Slides (PDF).

Shannon's Information Theory provides a robust and quantifiable model for explaining the fundamental paradigm of Information Warfare. This paper reviews the four canonical strategies of Information Warfare, in the context of Shannon's models and further extends these models into the domain of hypergame theory.

Kopp, Carlo, Boyd, Metcalfe and Amdahl - Modelling Networked Warfighting Systems, Proceedings of the 5th Australian Information Warfare & Security Conference (AIWSC 2004), Perth, WA, Australia, 25-26 November 2004, Edith Cowan University, WA, Australia, ISBN: 0-7298-0569-7, pp 186-197. Slides (PDF)

The use of Metcalfe’s Law as a measure for assessing capability gains in networked warfighting systems is well established. Metcalfe’s Law provides an incomplete model, in that it can only describe gains in the Observation Orientation phases of Boyd’s OODA loop. The paper explores the utility of Amdahl’s law as a model for determining bounds on networked warfighting system capability which arise from constraints in the Decision Action phases of the OODA loop, and analyses the limitations of these three models when used as an abstraction to describe such systems.

Kopp, Carlo, Reflections on Information Age Air Warfare, Journal of Information Warfare, Edith Cowan University, Perth, WA, Australia, ISSN: 1445-3312, Vol 3, Issue 3, pp 11-28.

The information age has produced some profound shifts in military power,and nowhere has this been more apparent than in the domain of air power. A digitised air force represents the most pronounced case study of the impact ofinformation technology and networking on achievable combat effect. For a modern military to position itself properly in this evolving paradigm of warfare, it will need to make many strategic choices in technology, system architectures and doctrine. Success in warfare has always been tied to the technological element, and in the information age this reality becomes increasingly visible. Bad choices in this decade could have consequences which persist for many decades into the future. This paper will explore the pivotal relationships between the information gathering, low observable, information networking and evolutionary aspects of a modern force, using air power as the case study paradigm.

Lachlan Brumley, Carlo Kopp and Kevin Korb, Misperception, Self-Deception and Information Warfare, Conference Paper, Proceedings of the 6th Australian Information Warfare & Security Conference 2002. Paper (PDF).

Deception techniques are Information Warfare strategies commonly used by biological organisms and organisations to gain an advantage during competition. In this paper we examine two related techniques, misperception and self-deception, which we relate to the four canonical Information Warfare strategies and Boyd's OODA loop model.

Kopp, Carlo, Boyd, Metcalfe and Amdahl - Modelling Networked Warfighting Systems, Conference Paper, Proceedings of the 5th Australian Information Warfare & Security Conference 2004. Slides (PDF).

The use of Metcalfe's Law as a measure for assessing capability gains in networked warfighting systems is well established. Metcalfe's Law provides an incomplete model, in that it can only describe gains in the Observation Orientation phases of Boyd s OODA loop. The paper explores the utility of Amdahl's law as a model for determining bounds on networked warfighting system capability which arise from constraints in the Decision Action phases of the OODA loop, and analyses the limitations of these three models when used as an abstraction to describe such systems.

Kopp, Carlo, The Analysis of Compound Information Warfare Strategies, Conference Paper, Proceedings of the 6th Australian Information Warfare & Security Conference 2005. Paper (PDF).

The practical defensive and offensive application of Information Warfare most frequently involves the use of complicated compound strategies, in which multichannel and multilayered attacks must be analysed. This paper presents a systematic approach to the analysis problem, which is exploitable for defensive and offensive purposes.

Kopp, Carlo, Classical Deception Techniques and Perception Management vs. the Four Strategies of Information Warfare, Conference Paper, Proceedings of the 6th Australian Information Warfare & Security Conference 2005. Paper (PDF).

The use of deception techniques for intelligence operations, strategic and tactical deception in war, politics, business and media manipulation is well established and well documented. This paper analyses established deception techniques in the context of the four canonical strategies of Information Warfare, to establish an information theoretical and game theoretical framework for future modelling and analysis.

Kopp, Carlo, Considerations on Deception Techniques Used in Political and Product Marketing, Conference Paper, Proceedings of the 7th Australian Information Warfare & Security Conference 2006, December 4th-5th, Perth. Paper (PDF), Slides (PDF).

This paper explores three deception techniques which are widely used in political and product marketing. These techniques are ‘deception by omission’, ‘deception by saturation’ and ‘deception by spin’. These techniques are newly analysed in the framework of the four canonical strategies of Information Warfare and Shannon’s capacity and entropy theorems, and their respective strengths and weaknesses established. Specific strategies for the defeat of these deception techniques are discussed.

L. Brumley, C. Kopp and K. Korb, The Orientation step of the OODA loop and Information Warfare, Conference Paper, Proceedings of the 7th Australian Information Warfare & Security Conference 2006, December 4th-5th, Perth. Paper (PDF).

This paper develops a theoretical model of the internal processes of the Orientation step of Boyd’s OODA loop model. The Orientation step is important from an Information Warfare perspective as it is where the decisionmaker combines their existing knowledge with new information. Any new information is a potential target for manipulation by Information Warfare attacks. The operation of the two Information Warfare attacks that target the Orientation step, deception and self-deception, are examined with the proposed model.

L. Brumley, C. Kopp and K. Korb, Causes and Effects of Perception Errors, Journal of Information Warfare, Edith Cowan University, Perth, WA, Australia, ISSN: 1445-3312, Vol 5, Issue 3, pp 41-53. Paper (PDF).

This paper proposes that both Information Warfare attacks and non-intentional perception errors can be categorised as causes of misperception. The causes of misperception are then analysed in the terms of Boyd's OODA loop model to determine when they cause errors to occur. The OODA loop model is then expanded to produce a theoretical model of the internal process of the Orientation step of the OODA loop. One of these errors is then explained in greater detail with the new model.

Kopp, Carlo, The Four Strategies of Information Warfare and their Applications, Journal Paper, IO Journal, Vol 2, Issue 1, 1st Quarter 2010, Information Operations (IO) Institute, Special Interest Group of the Association of Old Crows. Paper (PDF).

Kopp, Carlo, Exponential Growth Laws in Basic Technology and Capability Surprise, Journal Paper, IO Journal, Vol 2, Issue 4, 4th Quarter 2010, Information Operations (IO) Institute, Special Interest Group of the Association of Old Crows. Paper (PDF).

Moore’s Law, defined in the 1960s, predicts a monotonic increase in available computing power with time. Since then other exponential growth laws have been defined for disk storage and network performance growth. This paper explores the validity of the these exponential growth laws, with a particular focus on conditions under which they do and do not apply. The problem of capability surprise is then explored from the perspective of exponential growth laws.

Kopp, Carlo, Command of the ElectroMagnetic Spectrum - An Electronic Combat Doctrine for the RAAF, Air Power Studies Centre Paper No.8, Royal Australian Air Force, November 1992. (PDF 50693 bytes)

Attaining the command of the Electromagnetic Spectrum has become a prerequisite to attaining command of the air, in a modern air war. This paper argues the case for an Electronic Combat Campaign, and proposes a comprehensive Electronic Combat warfighting doctrine for the Royal Australian Air Force.

This paper predates the current Information Warfare paradigm, but essentially proposes an integrated in-theatre IW doctrine for the RAAF, excluding CyberWar elements. The doctrinal model encompasses both conventional EW/EC and C3I elements, combined with elements of what would today be labelled strategic IW.

Kopp, Carlo, Moore's Law and its Implications for Information Warfare, Invited Paper, The 3rd International Association of Old Crows (AOC) Electronic Warfare Conference, Conference Paper, Conference Proceedings, Zurich, May 20-25 2000 (PDF ).

Moore's Law, defined in the sixties, predicts a monotonic increase in available computing power with time. With the commodification of high performance microprocessors, very large amounts of computing power are now readily available in the open market, at very modest cost. This paper will explore some of the implications of this phenomenon for IW in the coming decades, and propose some guidelines for IW strategists and planners.

Kopp, Carlo, Sensors, Weapons and Systems for a 21st Century Counter Air Campaign, Invited Paper, CONTROL OF THE AIR - The Future of Air Dominance and Offensive Strike Conference Paper, Conference Proceedings, ADSC, ADFA, November 15-16 1999. (PDF)

Sensors, weapons and systems are some of the key determinants of success in counter-air warfare. This paper explores the growth potential in many of the basic technologies used to implement sensors, weapons and systems in the coming generation of fighters. Conclusions are drawn about potential performance and capability growth resulting from improvements in basic technology in the coming two decades.

Electromagnetic Weapons Effects and Hardening

Kopp, Carlo, A Doctrine for the Use of ElectroMagnetic Pulse Bombs, Air Power Studies Centre Paper No.15, Royal Australian Air Force, July 1993. (PDF 61691 bytes)

High Power Microwave technology has matured to the point where practical Electro Magnetic Pulse weapons are becoming technically feasible, with applications in Electronic Combat, Offensive Counter-Air, Combat Air Support and in Strategic Air Attack. The current development of conventional ElectroMagnetic Pulse devices allows their use in non-nuclear confrontations. This paper proposes a doctrinal foundation for the use of such devices in warhead and bomb applications.

Kopp, Carlo, The E-Bomb - A Weapon of Electrical Mass Destruction, InfoWarCon 5 Conference Paper, Proceedings of InfoWarCon 5, NCSA, September 1996 (PPT).

High Power Electromagnetic Pulse generation techniques and High Power Microwave technology have matured to the point where practical E-bombs (Electromagnetic bombs) are becoming technically feasible, with new applications in both Strategic and Tactical Information Warfare. The development of conventional E-bomb devices allows their use in non-nuclear confrontations. This paper discusses aspects of the technology base, weapon delivery techniques and proposes a doctrinal foundation for the use of such devices in warhead and bomb applications.

Kopp, Carlo, The Electromagnetic Bomb - A Weapon of Electrical Mass Destruction, Air Chronicles Paper, USAF CADRE Air Chronicles, October 1996, Paper (HTML); Russian Translation Part 1, Part 2; Mirror@GlobalSecurity.org; Mirror@APA

Kopp, Carlo, An Introduction to the Technical and Operational Aspects of the Electromagnetic Bomb, Air Power Studies Centre Paper No.50, Royal Australian Air Force, November 1996. (PDF 394009 bytes)

The rapid growth of the computing and communications infrastructure over the last decade has produced a significant dependency in modern industrialised economies, and this dependency produces a major vulnerability to attack by electromagnetic weapons. The maturing High Power Microwave and Flux Compression Generator technology base makes the design of practical, deployable electromagnetic munitions technically feasible. This paper will review the established technology base for electromagnetic bomb and missile warhead design, and discuss the issues of bomb and warhead design, lethality, targeting, delivery and bomb damage assessment.

Kopp, Carlo, Hardening Your Computing Assets, Technical Report, posted on infowar.com, March 1997 [previously published in Open Systems Review, February, 1997]. (HTML)

Technical discussion of defensive measures which may be applied to hardening sites and computing assets against electromagnetic weapons. Includes chassis shielding, cable shielding and optical fibres, Faraday cages, and power feed hardening.

Kopp, Carlo and Pose, Ronald, Electromagnetic Considerations for Computer System Design, Computer Architecture '97 Selected Papers of the 2nd Australasian Conference, Springer-Verlag Singapore Pte Ltd, Singapore, 269-287, 19pp.

Discussion of the typical damage effects produced by various types of electromagnetic weapons, and review of a range of possible measures in electrical and system design of computer systems, which can be used to defend against electromagnetic attack. The paper states the need for the definition of a standard with electromagnetic hardness ratings for equipment and sites.

Kopp, Carlo, Considerations on the Use of Airborne X-band Radar as a Microwave Directed-Energy Weapon, Journal of Battlefield Technology, vol 10, issue 3, Argos Press Pty Ltd, Australia, pp. 19-25.

Directed Energy Weapons (DEW) are devices which inflict damage upon a target by directing high intensity electromagnetic radiation over some distance, using for instance a High Energy Laser (HEL) or High Power Microwave source, and a focussing aperture. With recent increases in peak and average emitted power levels, X-band microwave radar is gaining the potential for use as a DEW. This paper explores a range of implementation issues arising in the application of active electronically steered array (AESA) and electronically steered array (ESA) X-band radars as directed-energy weapons. The application of circular polarisation at the radar antenna is shown to be useful for coupling power into targets, as is chirping of the radar waveform. It will be necessary to design radar modes specifically for the purpose of microwave attack, to provide the capability to interleave operator-controlled high-power emissions with necessary tracking waveforms. Estimates of achievable effect using a representative radar configuration indicate that a microwave attack regime will be effective only at short ranges.

Theses and Projects

Lachlan Brumley, HYPANT: A Hypergame Analysis Tool, Honours Thesis, 2003, Monash University SCSSE (Website).

HYPANT is a hypergame simulator which implements the Fraser-Hipel algorithm for hypergame analysis. The tool was implemented with the aim of producing a GPL code package suitable for use in more ambitious projects.

Lachlan Brumley, PhD Project (Website).

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