Preparing for Battle

In this chapter, we will look at various solutions that will prepare us to engage in a highly demanding cyber conflict. In the previous chapter, we noted that the principle of planning is critical to any advanced operation, especially games of conflict. As Benjamin Franklin said, "By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail." This is especially true when dealing with an active cyber conflict. Effective usage of the required tools and infrastructure requires expertise, which can only be developed through the investment of significant time and practice. This chapter will cover preparatory steps that should be taken on each side before engaging in cyber operations. In this chapter, we will look at the difference between long-term strategic planning and short-term operational planning. We will explore how to break down and measure long-term planning and how to gauge operational efficiency. We want to develop an effective plan, wiki documentation, operational processes, and even code to automate these strategies, ensuring consistency and repeatability. From both the offensive and defensive perspectives, we will examine critical skills and infrastructure that should be included in these plans. This chapter will introduce many effective technologies and options, some you may already be aware of, and hopefully many new solutions. The aim is to reduce the complexity of computer security at scale by planning and using various frameworks to help automate and manage different tasks we may encounter. Our plans will have to be flexible according to operators and developers. As Eisenhower said, "The plan is useless, but planning is essential." In our situation, this means that while the exact actions taken may deviate from the plan, and while the plan should not be entirely prescriptive, a broad roadmap is critical for the direction of the team, especially during a high-stress event or time of crisis.

In this chapter, we will cover the following topics:

• Communications
• Team building
• Long-term planning
• Operational planning
• Defensive signal collection
• Defensive data management
• Defensive data analysis
• Defensive KPIs
• Offensive data collection
• Offensive tool development
• Offensive KPIs