Editing Information warfare (section)

==Overview==
Information warfare has been described as "the use of information to achieve our national objectives."<ref name="Stein1995">{{cite web |last1=Stein |first1=George J |title=Information warfare |url=https://www.hsdl.org/?view&did=439935 |publisher=Air University (U.S.). Press |access-date=March 26, 2022 |archive-date=November 5, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181105224858/https://www.hsdl.org/?view&did=439935 |url-status=live }}</ref> According to [[NATO]], "Information war is an operation conducted in order to gain an information advantage over the opponent."<ref name="NatoDef">{{cite web |title=Information warfare |url=https://www.nato.int/nato_static_fl2014/assets/pdf/2020/5/pdf/2005-deepportal4-information-warfare.pdf |publisher=NATO |access-date=March 26, 2022 |archive-date=January 2, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210102062507/https://www.nato.int/nato_static_fl2014/assets/pdf/2020/5/pdf/2005-deepportal4-information-warfare.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

Information warfare can take many forms:
* [[Television]], [[internet]] and [[radio]] transmission(s) can be [[Radio jamming|jammed]] to disrupt communications, or [[Broadcast signal intrusion|hijacked]] for a [[disinformation]] [[Advertising campaign|campaign]].
* [[Logistics network]]s can be disabled.
* Enemy [[communications network]]s can be disabled or spoofed, especially online social communities in modern days.
* [[Stock exchange]] transactions can be [[sabotage]]d, either with electronic intervention, by leaking sensitive information or by placing disinformation.
* The use of [[UAV|drone]]s and other surveillance robots or webcams.
* [[Communication management]]
* [[Synthetic media]] 
* The organized use of social media and other online content-generation platforms can be used to influence public perceptions.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Haq |first1=Ehsan-Ul |last2=Tyson |first2=Gareth |last3=Braud |first3=Tristan |last4=Hui |first4=Pan |title=Proceedings of the 33rd ACM Conference on Hypertext and Social Media |chapter=Weaponising Social Media for Information Divide and Warfare |date=2022-06-28 |chapter-url=https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=Weaponising+Social+Media+for+Information+Divide+and+Warfare&btnG= |series=HT '22 |location=New York, NY, USA |publisher=Association for Computing Machinery |pages=259–262 |doi=10.1145/3511095.3536372 |isbn=978-1-4503-9233-4|s2cid=249872702 }} (PDF format)</ref>

The [[United States Air Force]] has had Information Warfare Squadrons since the 1980s. In fact, the official mission of the U.S. Air Force is now "To fly, fight and win... in air, space and cyberspace",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.airforce.com/learn-about/our-mission/|title=About the Air Force: Our Mission - airforce.com|access-date=18 February 2015|archive-date=21 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151121053333/http://www.airforce.com/learn-about/our-mission/|url-status=dead}}</ref> with the latter referring to its information warfare role.

As the U.S. Air Force often risks aircraft and aircrews to attack strategic enemy communications targets, remotely disabling such targets using software and other means can provide a safer alternative. In addition, disabling such networks electronically (instead of explosively) also allows them to be quickly re-enabled after the enemy territory is occupied. Similarly, counter-information warfare units are employed to deny such capability to the enemy. The first application of these techniques was used against Iraqi communications networks in the [[Gulf War]].

Also during the Gulf War, Dutch [[Security cracking|hackers]] allegedly stole information about U.S. troop movements from [[U.S. Defense Department]] computers and tried to sell it to the Iraqis, who thought it was a hoax and turned it down.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://apnews.com/9bdfd653327fc9c17e643090f08d1d04|title=Computer security experts: Dutch hackers stole Gulf War secrets|website=AP NEWS|access-date=2019-10-20|archive-date=2019-10-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191020131858/https://apnews.com/9bdfd653327fc9c17e643090f08d1d04|url-status=live}}</ref> In January 1999, U.S. Air Intelligence computers were hit by a coordinated attack ([[Moonlight Maze]]), part of which came from a Russian mainframe.  This could not be confirmed as a Russian cyber attack due to non-attribution – the principle that online identity may not serve as proof of real-world identity.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9595_22-513930.html |title=Technology News, Analysis, Comments and Product Reviews for IT Professionals |access-date=2008-03-28 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070525045415/http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9595_22-513930.html |archive-date=2007-05-25 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/cyberwar/warnings/|title=The Warnings? - Cyber War! - FRONTLINE - PBS|website=[[PBS]]|access-date=18 February 2015|archive-date=19 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150219024311/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/cyberwar/warnings/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="mariarosariataddeo">{{cite journal|url=http://philpapers.org/rec/TADIWA|title=Mariarosaria Taddeo, Information Warfare: A Philosophical Perspective - PhilPapers|author=Mariarosaria Taddeo|year=2012|access-date=18 February 2015|journal=Philosophy & Technology|doi=10.1007/s13347-011-0040-9|hdl=2299/8987|s2cid=17684656|hdl-access=free|archive-date=9 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809184518/https://philpapers.org/rec/TADIWA|url-status=live}} (journal name added 31 May 2024)</ref>

Some militaries are now employing the use of [[iPhone]]s to upload data and information gathered by drones in the same area.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Information Warfare: A Philosophical Perspective|doi=10.1007/s13347-011-0040-9|volume=25|journal=Philosophy & Technology|pages=105–120|author=Taddeo Mariarosaria|year = 2012|url=http://uhra.herts.ac.uk/bitstream/2299/8987/1/904727.pdf|hdl=2299/8987|s2cid=17684656|hdl-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/25/world/middleeast/obama-worried-about-effects-of-waging-cyberwar-in-syria.html|title=Syria War Stirs New U.S. Debate on Cyberattacks|author= DAVID E. SANGER |newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=18 February 2015|date=2014-02-24}}</ref>