Research Catalog

Details

Additional authors

1. O'Mahony, Angela
2. Manheim, David
3. Dion-Schwarz, Cynthia
4. National Defense Research Institute (U.S.), researcher.
5. United States. Department of Defense. Office of the Secretary of Defense, sponsoring body.

Description

1. xvii, 83 pages : color illustration, graph; 23 cm

Summary

1. "This report examines the feasibility for non-state actors, including terrorist and insurgent groups, to increase their political and/or economic power by deploying a virtual currency (VC) for use in regular economic transactions. A VC, such as Bitcoin, is a digital representation of value that can be transferred, stored, or traded electronically and that is neither issued by a central bank or public authority, nor necessarily attached to a fiat currency (dollars, euros, etc.), but is accepted by people as a means of payment. We addressed the following research questions from both the technological and political-economic perspectives: (1) Why would a non-state actor deploy a VC? That is, what political and/or economic utility is there to gain? How might this non-state actor go about such a deployment? What challenges would it have to overcome? (2) How might a government or organization successfully technologically disrupt a VC deployment by a non-state actor, and what degree of cyber sophistication would be required? (3) What additional capabilities become possible when the technologies underlying the development and implementation of VCs are used for purposes broader than currency?"--Page 4 of printed paper wrapper.

Series statement

1. Research report

Uniform title

1. Research report (Rand Corporation) ; RR-1231-OSD.

Subject

1. Electronic funds transfers > Political aspects
2. National security > Economic aspects
3. Terrorism > Finance
4. Bitcoin
5. Non-state actors (International relations)

Contents

1. Introduction -- The Current State of Virtual Currencies -- Can Virtual Currencies Increase Political Power? -- Technical Challenges to Virtual Currency Deployment -- Implications Beyond Currency -- Conclusions and Future Research -- Appendix. Rating Cyber Threat Sophistication by Tiers.

Call number

1. JBE 17-339

Note

1. "Prepared for the Office of the Secretary of Defense."
2. Series title from publisher's Web site.
3. "RR-1231-OSD."--Page 4 of cover.
4. "Approved for public release; distribution unlimited."

Bibliography (note)

1. Includes bibliographical references (pages 73-83).

Author

1. Baron, Joshua William, author.

Title

1. National Security Implications of Virtual Currency : Examining the Potential for Non-state Actor Deployment / Joshua Baron, Angela O'Mahony, David Manheim, Cynthia Dion-Schwarz.

Publisher

1. Santa Monica, Calif. : RAND National Defense Research Institute, [2015]

Copyright date

1. ©2015

Type of content

1. text

Type of medium

1. unmediated

Type of carrier

1. volume

Series

1. Research report
2. Research report (Rand Corporation) ; RR-1231-OSD.

Bibliography

1. Includes bibliographical references (pages 73-83).

Connect to:

1. Link to electronic resource

Added author

1. O'Mahony, Angela, author.
2. Manheim, David, author.
3. Dion-Schwarz, Cynthia, author.
4. National Defense Research Institute (U.S.), researcher.
5. United States. Department of Defense. Office of the Secretary of Defense, sponsoring body.

LCCN

1. 2016288000

ISBN

1. 9780833091833 (pbk.)
2. 0833091832 (pbk.)

Research call number

1. JBE 17-339