conference paper
Reflexive control in cyber space
Abstract
Imagine it is possible to make an opponent make a decision advantageous to you by the simple use of information. According to Russian methodologies, such a capability exists and is known as the theory of Reflexive Control or RC. The theory itself has been researched in the Soviet Union and Russia since the 1960s and encompasses a methodology where specifically prepared information is conveyed to an opponent, which would lead him to make a decision desired by the initiator. The methodology is assumed to be applicable in a wide variety of situations, and is deeply rooted within the Russian Information Warfare concepts. Because theory envelops the Russian understanding of information as both technical data and cognitive content, "information resources" are understood as technological as well as human. Thus, RC can extend over the full range of machine, human and their interaction. The essential tasks of RC are for one the tracing of behavioural patterns within the system and for the other the identification "weak" information resource within the system. Arguably, a well-developed (global) cyberspace presents theorists and operators of RC and RC-methodology with a vast amount of possibilities to affect their opponent. This article explores ways in which RC can be exercised with the help of the cyberspace. In essence, the article shows that the cyberspace significantly enhances the potential of RC because it allows the initiator of RC to compromise both the system and its operator. It is then suggested, that RC is exercised to its full effect when the operator's cognitive assessment and the data residing in the system are compromised simultaneously.
Author keywords
cyberspace, influence operations, information warfare, reflexive control