Task for this assignment: It is required that you produce a paper of between 1800 and 2300 words (including the abstract but excluding the reference list). Papers of greater than 2300 words will NOT...

INFORMATION WARFARE 1
Running Head: INFORMATION WARFARE
Information Warfare and Ethical Issues
INFORMATION WARFARE 2
Abstract
Information warfare can be regarded as a term that is used to refer the strategic attack or
defence of the information infrastructure or computer systems of the current era, comprising of
banking, stock markets, telecommunications, electric power and air traffic control. In the current
eon, states have become more dependent on computers and information systems, and thus for
warfare also, they have relied on such means. Information warfare can have devastating effects
of the military or the whole nation, and therefore, ethical issues are pertinent in it. In this context
that topic that has been selected to discuss in the paper is ethical issues that are saturated in
information warfare.
It is no wrong to mention that information warfare can be initiated by a nation, state, a
fraction within a state, and also by a terrorist group or criminal group. Ethical issues related to
information warfare bring into light the ethical considerations that will help in reducing the
devastating effects of information warfare on the nation or individuals. The ethical issues should
be waged for right purpose as a last means, when the entity is left with other alternative.
It should be waged by authorities or government and not be done y individuals, which in
turn will be helpful in making distinctions between terrorists and other individuals. Besides this,
it should be used as last resort by nations only after trying all other probable means so that least
possible injuries will be made. It should be waged by nations as a means of doing well and not as
a mechanism or harming each other. The impact of these ethical issues is substantial because of
the fact that it will bring moral behaviour in warfare and slow down the destruction, as well.
INFORMATION WARFARE 3
Table of Contents
Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 4
Information Warfare and Ethical Issues ......................................................................................... 4
Ethical Issues .................................................................................................................................. 5
Impact of Ethical Issues and Implications ...................................................................................... 8
Conclusion ...................................................................................................................................... 9
References ..................................................................................................................................... 11
INFORMATION WARFARE 4
Introduction
Information warfare is related to the utilisation of electronic communications as well as
Internet in order to disrupt or interrupt the telecommunications, transport mechanisms, power
supply of one country by another. In information warfare, information technology is used by
countries as a vigorous weapon of war. It is significant to state that information warfare is not
only meant to disrupt and defend military related communications and information technology,
but also meant to attain access to or to disturb crucial computer systems that are used in electric
power grids, banking systems, air traffic control, etc. (Janczewski & Colarik, 2008).
In this manner, the vital objective of information warfare is to get information dominance
over an opponent, which may relate to more information or an advantage to get better
information. It is thus, no wrong to mention that information warfare (IW) indicates the changing
nature of warfare and shows how information technology has used by countries to enhance their
war-fighting capabilities. Since, it uses information technology, internet or computer systems,
IW can also be stated as cyberwar, in which viruses or related messages are initiated in the
adversary’s computer either to destroy them or to place forged information in them (Hutchinson
& Warren, 2001).
Information Warfare and Ethical Issues
It is noteworthy, that since its initiation, is representing an increasing disruptive
capability, not only in opposition to the classic military command and control nodes, but also
against a number of determinants of the national information infrastructure. In the US, the
situation is more critical as the American society has become dependent on advanced
information technologies, and they have the largest part has to lose or misplace from a
widespread information war. In this context, the growing interest in averting the outbreak on
information warfare is quite simple (Yurcik, 1997).
INFORMATION WARFARE 5
Ethical issues or an up to date ethical approach to the escalating problem of information
warfare may not only protect countries against the threat, but it will be possible for them to do
good and well. Ethical issues in relation to information warfare are now common as they are
more viable and valuable. It is worth mentioning that...