arXiv subjects

Bonnie Rushing

Publications and source records attributed to Bonnie Rushing.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Cognitive Warfare: Definition, Framework, and Case Study

Cognitive warfare has emerged as a central feature of modern conflict, yet it remains inconsistently defined and difficult to evaluate. Existing approaches often treat cognitive operations as a subset of information operations, limiting the ability to assess cognitive attacker-defender interactions or determine when advantage has been achieved. This article proposes a unified definition of cognitive warfare, introduces an interaction framework grounded in the OODA loop, and identifies measurable attributes associated with cognitive superiority. To illustrate the use of the framework, a notional case study demonstrates how these concepts can be applied to assess cognitive attacks and defenses in a contested environment. Thus, the framework provides joint force leaders and analysts with a practical foundation for understanding, comparing, and evaluating cognitive warfare campaigns.

cs.SI↗

arXiv2025

Towards Proactive Defense Against Cyber Cognitive Attacks

Cyber cognitive attacks leverage disruptive innovations (DIs) to exploit psychological biases and manipulate decision-making processes. Emerging technologies, such as AI-driven disinformation and synthetic media, have accelerated the scale and sophistication of these threats. Prior studies primarily categorize current cognitive attack tactics, lacking predictive mechanisms to anticipate future DIs and their malicious use in cognitive attacks. This paper addresses these gaps by introducing a novel predictive methodology for forecasting the emergence of DIs and their malicious uses in cognitive attacks. We identify trends in adversarial tactics and propose proactive defense strategies.

cs.CR↗

arXiv2025

Quantifying the Engagement Effectiveness of Cyber Cognitive Attacks: A Behavioral Metric for Disinformation Campaigns

As disinformation-driven cognitive attacks become increasingly sophisticated, the ability to quantify their impact is essential for advancing cybersecurity defense strategies. This paper presents a novel framework for measuring the engagement effectiveness of cognitive attacks by introducing a weighted interaction metric that accounts for both the type and volume of user engagement relative to the number of attacker-generated transmissions. Applying this model to real-world disinformation campaigns across social media platforms, we demonstrate how the metric captures not just reach but the behavioral depth of user engagement. Our findings provide new insights into the behavioral dynamics of cognitive warfare and offer actionable tools for researchers and practitioners seeking to assess and counter the spread of malicious influence online.

cs.CY↗