Cyber Intelligence and Influence: In Defense of “Cyber Manipulation Operations” to Parry Atrocities

Eddie Chapman was a scallywag and scoundrel, notorious for his frequent run-ins with the law for lying, cheating, and stealing in the 1930s and 1940s. But during World War II, he was also “Agent Zigzag”—a double agent working for rival intelligence agencies, the Nazi Abwehr and the U.K.'s MI5. In 1944, Chapman was tasked by the Nazi regime to report on the success of their V-1 and V-2 rockets targeting London. Zigzag—operating at the directive of MI5—consistently falsified the results of the rockets so that the Nazi leadership would alter their targets to (unbeknownst to them) hit less populated areas of London. This ultimately resulted in fewer civilian deaths.Footnote2

As the above vignette highlights, spies have long been understood to not just obtain information but to interfere with or obstruct the operations to which they are privy. This includes spreading disinformation about capabilities or plans, withholding information, falsifying reports, and planting fabricated information to be intentionally picked up and used by the enemy. Perhaps the most famous example of this is Operation Fortitude, where (among other deception tactics) the Allies broadcast fake radio chatter intended to deceive the Nazis into believing the D-Day landing would take place near Pas-de-Calais, not Normandy.Footnote3 According to Sun Tzu, “We can cause the doomed spy to carry false tidings to the enemy.”Footnote4 It seems Sun Tzu was interested in using “doomed spies” to disseminate fake versions of one's own plans or capacities to mislead the enemy, as in Operation Fortitude.Footnote5

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