The technology of the 21st century has brought immense benefits to humanity. For example, we can communicate via the internet and have a whole encyclopaedia at our fingertips in our mobile devices. But society has also become more vulnerable to cyberattacks and other aggressive cyberthreats. As shown by the war in Georgia in 2008 and in Estonia in 2007 there are states that now have the power and will to act violently in cyberspace. Sweden has a general strategy for deterring agressors but how is deterrence used in cyberspace and does Sweden actually have a specific cyberdeterrence strategy?
Theorists in deterrence have concluded that deterrence in cyberspace differs in various ways from conventional deterrence. One of these theorists, Will Goodman, has identified several elements which can lead to success in cyberdeterrence. An analysis of Sweden´s cyberstrategy using these criteria shows that Sweden cannot live up to all of them. The results may be due to the relatively small size of the Swedish state but may also reflect the lack of any clear cyberstategy.