Data Fusion in Offensive and Defensive Information Operations

Abstract : The conduct of offensive and defensive Information Operations (IO) require coordinated targeting and protection, respectively, across physical, information and even cognitive domains. Even the specific IO activities of Computer Network Defense (CND) and Computer Network Attack (CNA) require the close coordination of activities across all three domains to encompass physical processing assets, information creation, flows and stores, and the cognitive behaviors of human network administrators and operators. This paper describes the role of data fusion to provide intelligence for IO and to conduct both offensive operations (OIO) and defensive operations (DIO). We build on prior papers that have introduced the concept of a three-domain model of IO targets, and the general application of data fusion to the more abstract functions of IO. These functions require the fusion of both quantitative and qualitative data (e.g. numerical and text data, respectively) to develop models of physical, symbolic and cognitive IO targets and situations. This paper describes conceptual implementations of data fusion structures to model and understand OIO and DIO targets within the domains of reality.