TUCoPS :: Truly Miscellaneous :: infowar.txt

Glossary of Information Warfare Terms


                   GLOSSARY OF INFORMATION WARFARE TERMS



AFCA
     Air Force Communications Agency

AFCERT
     Air Force Computer Emergency Response Team

AFIWC
     Air Force Information Warfare Center

AHFID
     Allied High Frequency Interoperability Directory.

AIA
     Air Intelligence Agency at Kelly Air Force Base.

AIS
     Automated Information Systems.

ATM
     Asynchronous Transfer Mode.

C2
     Command and Control: Command and control functions are performed
     through an arrangement of personnel, equipment, communications,
     facilities, and procedures employed by a commander in planning,
     directing, coordinating, and controlling forces and operations in the
     accomplishment of a mission.

C2W
     Command-and-control warfare. The integrated use of operations
     security, military deception, psychological operations, electronic
     warfare, and physical destruction, mutually supported by intelligence,
     to deny information to, influence, degrade, or destroy adversary
     command and control capabilities, while protecting friendly command
     and control capabilities against such actions. Command systems, rather
     than commanders, are the chief target, as in Persian Gulf War.

C4
     Command, Control, Communications, and computers.

C4I
     Command, Control, Communications, Computers, and Intelligence

COMSEC
     Communications Security.

Copernicus
     The code-name under which the Navy plans to reformulate its command
     and control structures in response to the realization that information
     is a weapon. Through Copernicus warfighters will get the information
     that they need to make tactical decisions. The architecture of
     Copernicus was designed by Vice Admiral Jerry O. Tuttle.

CSCI
     Commercial Satellite Communications Initiative.

Cyberspace
     The global network of interconnected computers and communication
     systems.

Cyberwar
     A synonym for information warfare.

DARPADefense Advanced Research Project Agency

Data driven attack
     A form of attack that is encoded in innocuous seeming data which is
     executed by a user or other software to implement an attack. In the
     case of firewalls, a data driven attack is a concern since it may get
     through the firewall in data form and launch an attack against a
     system behind the firewall.

DBK
     Dominant battlefield knowledge.

Defense information infrastructure
     The worldwide shared or interconnected system of computers,
     communications, data, applications, security, people, training, and
     other support structures serving a nation's military's information
     needs.

DES
     Data Encryption Standard

DIA

DII
     See: Defense Information Infrastructure

DII COE Defense Information Infrastructure Common Operating Environment

DISA
     Defense Information Security Administration. Military organization
     charged with responsibility to provide information systems support to
     fighting units.

DISC4
     Army, Director of Information Systems for Command, Control,
     Communications, and Computers

DISN
     Defense Information System Network

DNS
     Domain Name Service

DNS spoofing
     Assuming the DNS name of another system by either corrupting the name
     service cache of a victim system, or by compromising a domain name
     server for a valid domain.

DoD
     Department of Defense.

van Eck monitoring
     Monitoring the activity of a computer or other electronic equipment by
     detecting low levels of electromagnetic emissions from the device.
     Named after Dr. Wim van Eck who published on the topic in 1985.

EKMS
     Electronic Key Management System.

ELINT
     Electronic intelligence.

EMI
     Electromagnetic interference.

EMP
     Electromagnetic pulse. A pulse of electromagnetic energy capable of
     disrupting computers. Computer networks, and many forms of
     telecommunication equipment.

EMP/T Bomb
     A device similar to a HERF Gun but many times more powerful.

EMSEC
     Emissions Security.

EPS
     Electronic Protection Syustem.

ETAPWG
     DOD Information Assurance Education, Training, Awareness and
     Professionalization Working Group.

EW
     Electronic warfare.

Firewall
     A system or combination of systems that enforces a boundary between
     two or more networks, i.e., an electronic gate that limits access
     between networks in accordance with local security policy.

GCCS
     Global Command and Control System.

GCSS
     Global Combat Support System.

Global information environment
     A military term for cyberspace.

Hacker
     A person who either breaks into systems for which they have no
     authorization or intentionally overstep their bounds on systems for
     which they do have legitimate access, i.e., an unauthorized individual
     who attempts to penetrate information systems; to browse, steal, or
     modify data; deny access or service to others; or cause damage or harm
     in some other way.

HERF
     High Energy Radio Frequency. As in HERF gun: a device that can disrupt
     the normal operation of digital equipment such as computers and
     navigational equipment by directing HERF emissions at them.

IASE Information Assurance Support Environment.

IBW
     Intelligence-based warfare.

IPMO
     INFOSEC Program Management Office.

Information Warfare
     Information warfare is the offensive and defensive use of information
     and information systems to deny, exploit, corrupt, or destroy, an
     adversary's information, information-based processes, information
     systems, and computer-based networks while protecting one's own. Such
     actions are designed to achieve advantages over military or business
     adversaries (Dr. Ivan Goldberg's definition)

INFOSEC
     Information Security: Protection of classified information that is
     stored on computers or transmitted by radio, telephone teletype, or
     any other means.

ISSO
     NSA Information Systems Security Organization.

IW/C2W
     Information warfare/command and control warfare.

J6
     Joint Staff, Director for Command, Control, Communications, and
     Computers.

JC2WC
     Joint Command and Control Warfare Center.
JMIC
     Joint Military Intelligence College . . . located at Bolling Air Force
     Base close to Washington DC.

Logic bomb
     Unauthorized computer code, sometimes delivered by email, which, when
     executed, checks for particular conditions or particular states of the
     system which, when satisfied, triggers the perpetration of an
     unauthorized, usually destructive, act.

NAIC
     National Air Intelligence Center.

NIMA
     National Imagery and Mapping Agency.
NIPC
     National Infrastructure Protection Center.

NRO
     National Reconnaissance Office.

NSA
     National Security Agency. This agency is charged with the tasks of
     exploiting foreign electromagnetic signals and protecting the
     electronic information critical to U. S. national security.

OOTW
     Operations other than war.

PKI
     Public Key Infrastructure.

Psychological operations
     Planned psychological activities in peace and war directed to enemy,
     friendly, and neutral audiences in order to influence attitudes and
     behavior affecting the achievement of political and military
     objectives. They include strategic psychological activities,
     consolidation psychological operations and battlefield psychological
     activities.

PSYOPS
     See: Psychological operations.

RMA
     Revolution in Military Affairs. The realization by the military that
     information, and information technologies must be considered as a
     weapon in achieving national objectives via military activity.

SIGINT
     The interception and analysis of electromagnetic signals.

TEMPEST
     Military code-name for activities related to van Eck monitoring, and
     technology to defend against such monitoring.

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Rdvised 11/6/99

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