Assistant Professor, Department of International Relations, Allama Tabatabie University
Abstract
Advancement of information and communications technology, particularly those related to cyberspace, has led to fundamental changes in the nature, means and modern methods of war, causing fundamental change and transformation in different kinds of security threats. Given the concentration of the domination system on utilization of the cyberspace capacities and capabilities to create ethnic, sectarian and social compressed tensions and spread mistrust between the public and the government and launch aggressive network attacks to paralyze the management of the affairs, cyber war is one of the most important manifestations of threats to national security of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Acting in this space requires proper understanding of all its aspects, capacities and case study of application of cyberspace to soft war. Through proper understanding and operational assessment of threats and through adopting offensive and defensive approaches, not only it is possible to thwart them but also prepare the strategic grounds for utilization of cyberspace capabilities within the framework of strategy of cyber soft operations against the enemy.
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