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Cyber Dragon: Inside China's Information Warfare and Cyber Operations
This book provides a framework for assessing China's extensive cyber espionage efforts and multi-decade modernization of its military, not only identifying the "what" but also addressing the "why" behind China's focus on establishing information dominance as a key component of its military efforts.
China combines financial firepower―currently the world's second largest economy―with a clear intent of fielding a modern military capable of competing not only in the physical environments of land, sea, air, and outer space, but especially in the electromagnetic and cyber domains. This book makes extensive use of Chinese-language sources to provide policy-relevant insight into how the Chinese view the evolving relationship between information and future warfare as well as issues such as computer network warfare and electronic warfare.
Written by an expert on Chinese military and security developments, this work taps materials the Chinese military uses to educate its own officers to explain the bigger-picture thinking that motivates Chinese cyber warfare. Readers will be able to place the key role of Chinese cyber operations in the overall context of how the Chinese military thinks future wars will be fought and grasp how Chinese computer network operations, including various hacking incidents, are part of a larger, different approach to warfare. The book's explanations of how the Chinese view information's growing role in warfare will benefit U.S. policymakers, while students in cyber security and Chinese studies will better understand how cyber and information threats work and the seriousness of the threat posed by China specifically.
China combines financial firepower―currently the world's second largest economy―with a clear intent of fielding a modern military capable of competing not only in the physical environments of land, sea, air, and outer space, but especially in the electromagnetic and cyber domains. This book makes extensive use of Chinese-language sources to provide policy-relevant insight into how the Chinese view the evolving relationship between information and future warfare as well as issues such as computer network warfare and electronic warfare.
Written by an expert on Chinese military and security developments, this work taps materials the Chinese military uses to educate its own officers to explain the bigger-picture thinking that motivates Chinese cyber warfare. Readers will be able to place the key role of Chinese cyber operations in the overall context of how the Chinese military thinks future wars will be fought and grasp how Chinese computer network operations, including various hacking incidents, are part of a larger, different approach to warfare. The book's explanations of how the Chinese view information's growing role in warfare will benefit U.S. policymakers, while students in cyber security and Chinese studies will better understand how cyber and information threats work and the seriousness of the threat posed by China specifically.
304 pages, Hardcover
Published November 14, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 10, 2017
Cyber warfare is becoming a more and more important aspect of war and also of mass manipulation. The Chinese hacking interfered with the Obama election and the Russians with the Trump election. Also, one cannot forget the North Korean hacking of the Sony Corporation. When I came across Dean Cheng’s book “Cyber Dragon: Inside China’s Information Warfare and Cyber Operations”, I decided it was a good time to read it.
Cheng states that communication’s technology has taken an important place in Chinese war planning. He states the Chinese term for cyber enabled warfare is “war under conditions of informatization”. Some of the uses Cheng lists are using of technology: to gather battlefield intelligence, coordinate joint operations, influence public attitudes in target countries, conduct espionage, gain access to cyber-infrastructures both military and civilian in target countries. Cheng states this is just the beginning of the use of cyber techniques in both hot and cold warfare.
The book is well written and researched. The author is an expert on Chinese military and security developments. Chang reveals how the Chinese view information’s growing role in warfare. This book should be of interest to those interested in cyber security both government and corporate. This book should be a wakeup call.
I read this book in hardback form. It is 290 pages and is published by Prager. It was released in 2016.
Cheng states that communication’s technology has taken an important place in Chinese war planning. He states the Chinese term for cyber enabled warfare is “war under conditions of informatization”. Some of the uses Cheng lists are using of technology: to gather battlefield intelligence, coordinate joint operations, influence public attitudes in target countries, conduct espionage, gain access to cyber-infrastructures both military and civilian in target countries. Cheng states this is just the beginning of the use of cyber techniques in both hot and cold warfare.
The book is well written and researched. The author is an expert on Chinese military and security developments. Chang reveals how the Chinese view information’s growing role in warfare. This book should be of interest to those interested in cyber security both government and corporate. This book should be a wakeup call.
I read this book in hardback form. It is 290 pages and is published by Prager. It was released in 2016.
May 9, 2022
A meticulously researched, intense and passionately written book. My only grouse is that, considering the dense subject matter, the author could have ended each chapter with a summary. Having studied the cyber and information warfare doctrines of various militaries, it's easy to deduce that the Chinese military strategists are so bombastic and hyperbolic that their IW doctrine may have little or no bearing on reality.
October 25, 2020
Enlightening and thought provoking. Reading this makes one understand the meaning of strategc thinking.
March 18, 2017
Overview of Chinese military integration + cyber operations doctrine, with analysis of Chinese-language documents and military, placing it within the CCP's broader strategy of domestic information control.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews