Verification in Cyberspace

Verification is one of the pillars of arms control and non-proliferation treaties, as well as an important part of Confidence Building Measures. It defines practical measures that enable treaty members to check treaty compliance by observing, counting or monitoring specific actions and their accordance with the agreed rules. In contrast to historical examples of former military technologies, cyberspace features some unique characteristics, making it hard to apply established measures. The chapter describes these peculiarities and assesses distinguishing problems compared to selected verification measures for nuclear, biological and chemical weapons technology. Yet, cyberspace is a human-made domain; adjusting its technical setting, rules, and principles may help reduce the threat of ongoing militarisation. Offering some alternatives, the chapter elaborates on suitable and measurable parameters for this domain and presents potentially useful verification approaches.