Cyber warfare campaigns
Warfare operations are not typically singular events. Nor are they usually composed of one-off engagements between adversaries. In nearly every instance throughout history, when opponents engaged one another in combat, the actual fighting was the culmination of a long series of interactions and provocations. In cyber warfare, this is often even more true.
Consider that in cyber warfare campaigns it is often more imperative that the adversaries spend exponentially more time analyzing, researching, and planning or plotting their actions compared to performing those actions. Often, this comes in the form of a series of reconnaissance actions that start with network and technical asset discovery and mapping. Typically, this is not much more than Nmap scanning or using vulnerability mapping tools to begin to plot the follow-on actions on a target. That activity is most often followed by building, modifying, or constructing the specific technical aspects...