Cybersecurity and International Conflict, Minor
The Minor in Cybersecurity and International Conflict
Audrey Kurth Cronin, Director, and Trustees Professor of Security and Technology
acronin@andrew.cmu.edu, Posner Hall 385A
Emily Half, Deputy Director for Academic Affairs
ehalf@andrew.cmu.edu, Posner Hall 391, 412-268-7082
Overview
Sponsored by the Carnegie Mellon Institute for Strategy and Technology (CMIST), the minor in cybersecurity and international conflict focuses on the existing gaps in our understanding of cybersecurity and international conflict. The minor exposes students to basic technology concepts, methods of attack and defense, potential strategy and goals for cyber-engagement, and response and forensics for cyber-engagements.
Alongside conventional methods of warfare, cybersecurity has rapidly developed into a centerpiece of a state’s ability to protect and project power. In the shifting landscape of cyber capabilities, how will laws, authorities, and policies keep pace? What are the implications and consequences of actions that may be considered “short of war” by some countries but “above the threshold” of conflict by others? Will a more aggressive defensive posture with respect to cybersecurity inadvertently increase the risk of conflict with states that sponsor malicious hacking groups? What is the proper balance between offense and defense in cybersecurity and how are cyber operations best integrated into a country’s overall military strategy?
Unlike some other kinds of tactics, attribution of cyber attacks presents significant challenges. If the aggressor’s identity cannot be quickly confirmed, how can a counterattack be launched? Some attackers may seek to mount “false flag” attacks and deception, for example, that misdirect defenders to counter-attack in the wrong direction. What are the appropriate rules of engagement for attacks on national systems, infrastructural systems, businesses, and individuals? When, for example, is a counterattack or a “kinetic” response permissible?
These questions have major implications for the study of war and peace. Those who seek to start a war may be harder to find and their motives more difficult to discern. The cybersecurity and international conflict minor tackles the social-scientific dimensions of cybersecurity with a focus on the implications of the cyber age for modern statecraft, warfare, elections (local, state, and national), and domestic and international politics.
Curriculum
Students are permitted to double count a maximum of two courses between the minor in Cybersecurity and International Conflict and another major or minor. Unlimited double counting is permitted with general education requirements.
Minor in Cybersecurity and International Conflict63 units
Foundational Course9 units
Students must take one of the following foundational courses:
| Units | ||
| 84-101 | Introduction to Political Science | 9 |
| 84-104 | Decision Processes in American Political Institutions | 9 |
| 84-226 | International Relations | 9 |
| 84-275 | Comparative Politics | 9 |
Core Courses27 units
Students must take all of the following core courses:
| 84-363 | Click. Hack. Rule: Understanding the Power & Peril of Cyber Conflict | 9 |
| 84-387 | Remote Systems and the Cyber Domain in Conflict | 9 |
| 84-405 | The Future of Warfare | 9 |
Elective Courses27 units
Students must take three courses from the following list of elective courses (27 units). At least one course (9 units) must be taken from the Carnegie Mellon Institute for Strategy & Technology (CMIST) and have an 84-number:
| 84-110 | The Economics of Politics and Technology | 9 |
| 84-200 | Security War Game Simulation | 3 |
| 84-274 | An Introduction to Technology and War | 9 |
| 84-280 | Popcorn and Politics: American Foreign Policy at the Movies | 12 |
| 84-304 | Analysis of Current US National Security Priorities | 6 |
| 84-312 | Terrorism in Sub-Saharan Africa | 6 |
| 84-314 | Politics, Technological Change, and Economic Growth | 9 |
| 84-319 | Civil-Military Relations | 9 |
| 84-323 | War and Peace in the Contemporary Middle East | 9 |
| 84-325 | Contemporary American Foreign Policy | 9 |
| 84-328 | Military Strategy and Doctrine | 9 |
| 84-329 | Asian Strategies | 6 |
| 84-330 | Race for the Future: US-China Tech Competition | 6 |
| 84-331 | Technology, Law, and Democracy | 6 |
| 84-341 | Transnational Criminal Networks & International Security | 6 |
| 84-343 | Offensive Cyber: Law & Policy | 6 |
| 84-345 | Hackers, the Law, & Policy Responses | 6 |
| 84-347 | Congress & National Security | 9 |
| 84-349 | Digital Diplomacy: Cybersecurity Challenges and Global Governance | 9 |
| 84-350 | A Strategist's Introduction to Artificial Intelligence | 9 |
| 84-353 | US-China Strategic Stability | 6 |
| 84-356 | Applied Political Data Analytics | 9 |
| 84-365 | The Politics of Fake News and Misinformation | 9 |
| 84-368 | Technology Ethics | 9 |
| 84-370 | Nuclear Security & Arms Control | 9 |
| 84-371 | International Governance of Artificial Intelligence | 9 |
| 84-373 | International Law | 9 |
| 84-375 | Geopolitics of Innovation | 9 |
| 84-380 | US Grand Strategy | 9 |
| 84-383 | National Cyber Policy & Strategy | 6 |
| 84-386 | The Privatization of Force | 9 |
| 84-389 | Terrorism and Insurgency | 9 |
| 16-735 | Ethics and Robotics | 12 |
| 17-200 | Ethics and Policy Issues in Computing | 9 |
| 17-303 | Cryptocurrencies, Blockchains and Applications | Var. |
| 17-331 | Information Security, Privacy and Policy in the Age of AI | 12 |
| 17-333 | Privacy Policy, Law, and Technology | 9 |
| 17-334 | Usable Privacy and Security | 9 |
| 17-702 | Current Topics in Privacy Seminar | 3 |
| 79-302 | Killer Robots? The Ethics, Law, and Politics of Drones and A.I. in War | 9 |
| 80-249 | AI, Society, and Humanity | 9 |
| 95-444 | Cybersecurity Policy and Governance II | 6 |