This chapter focus uses realism to analyze the current state of cybersecurity. Making key assumptions such as the fact that the “states are the most important actors” and that they act “within an international system lacking centralized authority,” the authors use realist theory to show that states are mainly concerned with their own self-interest. When it comes to cyber conflict, realist theory influences various aspects of the response. First, there is anarchy – cyber arms races and other escalations stem logically from this perspective and only increase the sense of uncertainty and distrust. Next, we have cyber power. Especially with the concept of states acting in their own self-interest, power dynamics help distinguish areas of independence and offer a metric by which states can compare their assets and capabilities. We also must consider the cyber offensive where the focus shifts from defending internal assets and instead relies on actively attacking and asserting cyberspace dominance. Finally, we have the concept of cyber deterrence. Due to the nature of the cyber domain, deterrence proves difficult since other actors cannot fully see what destructive capacity states may have, and there is a constantly evolving space that requires frequent innovation in order to keep up. Overall, since cyberspace now proves to be a formidable source of conflict worldwide, using a realist perspective helps explain and predict rather intuitive and necessarily viable options.
