Arms racing in cyberspace

Abstract

Arms races, or threat driven mutual military build-ups, are traditionally associated with a
dangerous escalation in interstate tensions. The heightened perception of threat in the cyber
domain invites the question of how states are reacting to their security concerns in
cyberspace. This paper adopts a mixed methods approach to first empirically establish the
existence of a cyber-arms racing dynamic within the international system, and secondly to
investigate, statistically, how a state’s cybersecurity can be enhanced in a more positive, and
less confrontational way. Case study methods are used on two rival state dyads: the United
States – Iran, and North Korea – South Korea, to measure the rates of build-up in their cyber
capabilities, and find evidence of external cyber threats, and competitive interaction. The
results confirm that cyber arms racing in the international system is a reality, but that a focus
on increasing defensive cyber infrastructure, as opposed to engaging in the militarisation of
cyberspace, offers the best way forward for increased cybersecurity.