Cyberwarfare against Critical Infrastructures: Russia and Iran in the Gray Zone

Abstract

The holistic nature of security in a hyper-connected world has increased the relevance of cyber environment. One of the most relevant threats identified are the attacks against energy infrastructures. This article presents a comparative study of the actions launched by Russia and Iran in the cyber environment against energy supply. Both States are specialized in asymmetric strategies and tactics in which cyber has a core role. The research analyzes the main actions against energy supply infrastructures, studying the pursued objectives and identifying their potential political results. The document is structured by a first theoretical approach to the use asymmetric gray zone and hybrid strategies, focusing on the use of cyber by Rogue States. From this approach, the analysis reflects the political visions of Russia and Iran, linking it with the Russian actions in Ukraine, as well as the Iranian cyber offensives against western targets. Conclusions reflects about the effectiveness of these strategies to the general strategy of both States.