Subversion: from covert operations to cyber conflict

In: Oxford scholarship online

In: Political Science

Abstract

In theory, subversion is the perfect weapon, yet in practice it often falters - and the same applies to cyber operations. This book expains why. Lennart Maschmeyer argues that subversion holds great promise as a cheap, easy, and yet effective alternative to war because of its distinct mechanism of action: secretly exploiting and manipulating adversary systems to undermine them and turn them again the adversary. In practice, however, subversion often falls short.