State, Surveillance, and Cyberspace: An Intelligence Analysis of Operation Aurora

Abstract

The fact that Operation Aurora happened and was most likely undertaken by Chinese state-connected actors, introduced major changes to the way global cybersecurity works. The operation which was active from late 2009, went after more than 20 big American companies, including Google and Adobe, as well as Chinese human rights activists and dissidents. This paper looks at how Operation Aurora worked, why it was done and what cybersecurity lessons were drawn from it, all in the context of national security, relations between countries and cybersecurity at a global scale. Through the case study methodology and combining theories of realism and securitization, this analyses shows how cyber operations are used as means of power and control of ideas. According to the paper, Operation Aurora reached its main intelligence objectives, but at the same time changed how cyber deterrence, digital sovereignty and cyber security intelligence were discussed afterwards.