The digital prisoner's dilemma: Challenges and opportunities for cooperation

Instead of neatly assigning ethics, morality, and responsibility to numerous cyber intrusions occurring all over world, this research analyzes the complexities of state relations in the realm of high-profile cyber attacks. Specifically, it utilizes an international relations prisoner's dilemma to explain the complexities of cyber intrusions and how nation-states can deal with these new exigencies. This research looks at three possible scenarios between nation-states: 1) the powerful vs. the less-powerful; 2) the powerful vs. the powerful; and 3) U.S. vs. a "stepping-stone" nation. The conclusion reached in all three cases confirms that mutual cooperation between allies is the best option to deter or derail motivated offenders (state-sponsored or individual), especially now, when the formation of an international cybersecurity legal framework is still in a relatively inchoate stage.