On the strategic consequences of digital espionage

Digital espionage has Cold War origins, but states are still determining how to respond when they found be its latest victims. In multilateral discussions about norms of responsible state behaviour in cyberspace, digital political is the elephant room. Like other aspects inter-state intelligence competition, ‘business as usual’ can also lead tensions, particularly operations become public. The strategic consequences appear significant, asymmetries power and poor understanding technical cyber uncertainty appropriate responses ‘cyber victimhood’. We offer multiple propositions frame espionage, focusing on relational victim spying their bilateral relationships. States will generally proportionately state-on-state whilst domestic-political factors pressure them adopt more robust, cost-imposing measures that may exacerbate espionage. illustrate these with three recent cases – Snowden revelations (2013); Office Personnel Management breach (2014); SolarWinds (2020) explore importance calibrated for stability behavioural cyberspace.