Discussion and Conclusions

The aim of this thesis was to identify the challenges for implementing arms control and de-escalation measures of state-led conflicts in cyberspace, to find starting points for such measures and, based on that, to exemplarily develop such measures as an impulse for further research. This thesis answers this research questions, by identifying and discussing in a first step the specific characteristics of cyberspace, of technological trends that shape this domain and of the intents, goals and behavior of the state-actors behind malicious activities. The findings show that for an increasing amount of states, cyberspace is becoming a domain for intelligence gathering or another measure to exert military force, as questioned by Buchanan and Cunningham (2020), demonstrating a long ranging strategic involvement in cyberspace to identify, establish and sustain access options already in times of peace.