Spring 2026

2026 marks the 25th year of the Journal of Information Warfare (JIW) and we are excited for what we have done over the last quarter century as well as how vibrant and relevant this academic publication is today. In addition to our outstanding double-blind peer-reviewed papers that we publish on a regular basis, our staff, also in conjunction with outstanding academics, produce special editions focused on key topics, organizations, and theories.

Our plan moving forward for the next two and a half decades is to continue to publish cutting edge academic papers, as well as to focus on new areas of cybersecurity and information warfare, to include Artificial Intelligence, maritime threats, facility-related control systems, and others. We hope that you continue to enjoy the eclectic nature of our selections, as well our focus on these subjects moving forward.

Abstract:

Conventional narratives position zero-day exploits as the hallmark of Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) sophistication, shaping defensive resource allocation toward exotic threat detection. This study challenges that assumption through empirical analysis of 60 verified APT campaigns (January 2024-July 2025). Social engineering dominates initial access at 40%, while zero-day exploitation accounts for only 8.3%. N-day vulnerabilities exceed zero-days at 13.3%, suggesting time-to-patch matters more than exploit novelty. Dwell-time analysis reveals a detection paradox: living-off-the-land techniques persist longest (156 days), while zero-days are detected fastest (42 days). Defenders should prioritise identity-centric controls and accelerated patch-window closure over zero-day detection capabilities.

Abstract:

Cognitive warfare (CW) exploits vulnerabilities in democratic media, institutional and civic infrastructures. This study asks how internal structural decay—specifically market-driven reforms, populist governance, and regulatory capture—creates openings for CW operations. A comparative analysis reveals that vulnerability stems from these intersecting domestic factors rather than from democratic openness. Adversaries leverage multi-level feedback loops of disinformation and polarisation to degrade epistemic foundations. Effective responses require systemic reforms: reinvestment in public-interest media, robust institutional safeguards, and enhanced civic education— to rebuild societies’ capacity for collective sense-making and resilience.

Abstract:

As synthetic media becomes weaponized in influence operations and cognitive warfare, the ability to assess the authenticity and intent of multimodal information is essential to sustaining information integrity and decision advantage. This paper introduces a scalable multimodal evaluation framework for assessing analytics that detect, attribute, and characterize synthetic and manipulated media across text, image, audio, and video. Drawing on insights from the DARPA Semantic Forensics (SemaFor) program, the authors report results across 111 evaluation tasks and identify strengths and vulnerabilities in analytic performance. Findings highlight the need for explainable, context-aware analytic frameworks that support cognitive security and operational decision making.

Abstract:

This theoretical paper reviews prior research on cognitive warfare and related fields, arguing that modern conflict increasingly targets human cognition and heritage through AI‑enabled information operations. Heritage becomes both a material and symbolic instrument, with disinformation shaping perceptions of its protection or destruction to justify strategic actions. Digital platforms, through influencers, bots, deepfakes, and algorithmic amplification, intensify these tactics by manipulating narratives, identities, and emotions at scale. Such cognitive operations complement kinetic actions, creating fragmented information environments where narrative control may rival territorial control in strategic importance. Emerging threats include cyberattacks on archives and metadata manipulation, underscoring the need for integrated measures that combine technological security with cultural and societal resilience.

Abstract:

Existing research in the field of Ontological Security Theory (OST) within international relations (IR) explores the self in relation to the identity of the individual and of statehood. This article conceptualizes Russian Information Warfare (RIW), premised on OST, as the method utilized in its information-psychological operations against states. Russia seeks to redefine the identity of states through societal erosion, committing historical revisionism, while replacing existing international structures with a civilizational multipolar worldview. From this perspective, Russia conducts information operations against Ukraine, waging RIW against democratic values and the minds of the people, regardless of combatant status.

Abstract:

Digital technologies are often described as transforming security and war, yet their strategic effects remain contested. This article argues that cyber capabilities and related digital infrastructures are better understood as recomposing the strategic field rather than inaugurating a discrete Revolution in Military Affairs. Drawing on large-N datasets of interstate cyber incidents, illustrative case studies, and policy and doctrinal documents, it traces how digital tools reshape instruments of coercion, diversify relevant actors beyond states, and blur domestic and external spaces of security. The analysis highlights governance dilemmas for deterrence, alliance coordination, and the regulation of platform power.

Abstract:

Recent doctrinal change frames information as a dynamic of combat power and calls on commanders to create and to exploit information advantage across all operations. Intelligence structures, however, remain largely optimised for kinetic targeting and physical terrain. This paper examines how a U.S. Army Theater Information Operations Group used four Live Environment Training (LET) deployments to develop and to refine a model for Intelligence Support to Information Operations (ISIO). The study describes how operational observations informed the development of a mission-essential task (MET), supporting subtasks, and a Training and Evaluation Outline (T&EO) for ISIO. It then outlines a practical training framework that links doctrine, METL-based tasks, and scenario-based exercises driven by open-source intelligence (OSINT). The result is a repeatable approach to building intelligence teams capable of enabling information advantage rather than servicing only traditional targeting requirements.

Abstract:

This analysis examines fundamental reliability issues in state voter registration systems stemming from structural database anomalies and record reconciliation failures. Research reveals systemic inconsistencies that impair basic database functionality, including irreconcilable discrepancies between state and county voting records, widespread record duplication (cloning), retroactive historical modifications, and algorithmically obscured data relationships. These issues create mathematical uncertainties in both individual and aggregate voter participation records that cannot be resolved through standard auditing procedures. The cumulative effect renders these systems incapable of reliably performing their core function of accurately tracking voter participation, independent of the original causes of these anomalies.