Publication

This paper examines what lessons can be learned from the November 2014 North Korean cyber attacks against Sony Entertainment, particularly in terms of why the attacks occurred and how they could have been deterred. First, the authors discuss the stability-instability paradox, which explains why it is the low risk of violent conflict breaking out on the Korean Peninsula that drives Pyongang to carry out provocative acts. They then point out that this paradox also applies to the cyber domain, with the ambiguous nature of the origin of cyber attacks also making strong retaliatory action by a target country difficult to justify. Finally, they propose some ways in which the US could improve its cyber deterrence.