How Reversibility Differentiates Cyber from Kinetic Warfare: A Case Study in the Energy Sector

Abstract

A pair of attacks on energy sector assets offers a unique opportunity to better understand the differences in impact from cyber and kinetic warfare. A review of the 2021 cyber attack on Colonial Pipeline and the missile strike on the Syvash wind farm demonstrates the principle of reversibility in action, particularly in regard to the short-lived nature of cyber attacks. Within the context of security and strategy, particularly at the cyber/energy security nexus, this means that traditional state security thinking needs to evolve to address threats in the cyber domain rather than try to retrofit dated strategies. The two cases compared offer lessons that can be applied more broadly in the formation of state-level cyber and energy strategic thinking, ultimately improving resilience and the appropriateness of protection.