Cyber Attacks against Iran as Instruments of Hybrid Warfare

Cyber security is quickly becoming one of the most important issues in the field of global politics. For this reason, it is vital to pay attention to topics in this field since they can impact international relations in a major way. Inspired by this, the thesis is focused on analysis, characterization, and categorization of cyber-attacks, which had been aimed at the Islamic Republic of Iran since 2007. The goal of the thesis is dual: to provide a complex picture of such incidents, and also to decide whether those attacks can be considered as evidence of hybrid warfare of some states against Iran. Data and reports about cyber-attacks were analyzed using AVOIDIT taxonomy in order to outline their basic characteristics. The characteristics were then contrasted with the definition of hybrid warfare. The final result of the analysis is that the cyber-attacks against Iran cannot be considered as hybrid warfare, because they do not meet the basic tenets of the concept of hybrid warfare. The aspiration of the thesis is to provide a clearer insight into the topic of cyber- attacks and global politics and can serve as a guide for future discussions since the topic of hybrid warfare has become very divisive