Thread by @RecordedFuture

At peace and war, China’s #cyber activities alter its target’s actions with threats to punish unwanted behaviors and apply pressure to coerce. Insikt Group® analyzes the 2 elements of #weishe theory in its application against Taiwan and more. 1/5 Read: bit.ly/3VjLQd1

In weishe, coercion comprises two distinct theories of action to change the behavior of a target: #Deterrence and #Compellence. Deterrence uses the threat of punishment to prevent undesirable actions, and compellence wields punishment to motivate desirable behavior. 2/5

An instance of cyber coercion might be the #defacement attack on public TV screens in #Taiwan in response to the Taiwan visit of the US Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi in August 2022. 3/5

The rapid exploitation of recent Microsoft Exchange vulnerabilities by multiple groups in China also lends further credence to the theory that a “digital quartermaster” ecosystem exists within China’s security apparatus to distribute shared capabilities. 4/5

All editions of Science of Military Strategy from China’s National Defense University, reviewed for this study, emphasize the importance of military-civil linkages in preparing for, and carrying out struggle in the #networkdomain. 5/5 Read the full report: bit.ly/3VjLQd1