THE UNITED STATES CYBER WARFARE STRATEGY TOWARD IRAN: OPERATION OLYMPIC GAMES AND CYBER WARFARE AS THE NEW INTERNATIONAL SECURITY THREAT (2010-2016)

Abstract

The nuclear program of Iran has become the utmost concern of the U.S since decades ago. The security dilemma it has brought, have heightened the tension between the two countries’ relations. Several negotiation attempts have been made under the intergovernmental forum for nuclear field International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), yet it floundered several times as Iran had not complied with the agreements. An alternative option imposed by the international community, including the U.S., was to impose economic sanctions and embargo Iranian oil. Even so, Iran did not put a halt on its nuclear development program. This resulted in the U.S using other measures to hinder the Iranian nuclear program, which is through the implementation of its cyber warfare strategy. This thesis attempts to comprehend the United States cyber warfare strategy towards Iran through the Operation Olympic Games. It will begin by shining the light on how cyber threats have become an emerging issue in the 21st century, examining the importance of politically-motivated cyber attacks that targeted critical infrastructures of governments as an alarming threat to national security. Followed is the exploration the United States cyber warfare strategy, including the Presidential Policy Directives (PPD) and other documents that supported the U.S cyber warfare doctrines. Lastly, this research will elaborate the detailed case study of the Operation Olympic Games as the implementation of the U.S cyber warfare strategy, providing the timeline of the operation and details of the Stuxnet, Duqu, and Flame malwares that attacked Iran’s nuclear facilities.