"In the Loop: Russian Reflexive Control in the Cyber Domain and its Imp" by Sydney A. Lynch
 

Honors Theses

Date of Award

Spring 5-10-2025

Document Type

Undergraduate Thesis

Department

Political Science

First Advisor

Craig Morris

Second Advisor

Jonathan Klingler

Third Advisor

Susan Allen

Relational Format

Dissertation/Thesis

Abstract

This thesis examines how Russian cyber operations use Reflexive Control (RC) to exploit cognitive vulnerabilities and influence political behavior in Western democracies. Combining insights from political science, cybersecurity, and strategic studies strategy, this study uses the OODA Loop (Observe–Orient–Decide–Act) framework to analyze how Russian actors target perception and decision-making during cyberattacks. For this, two case studies and their media coverage were selected for further study and sentiment analysis: the 2016 Democratic National Committee (DNC) hack and leak and the 2017 NotPetya malware attack. This study's findings show that both attacks corresponded with immediately noticeable increases in populist sentiment in media coverage, suggesting a link between Russian cyber activity and the emotional framing of political discourse. The study further revealed that the DNC hack disrupted the early decision-making stages by flooding information environments with polarizing narratives manipulating individuals' perceived reality. At the same time, the NotPetya attack, in contrast, functioned as a destructive reflexive act, impairing the "Decide" and "Act" phases through psychological disruption and fear. The study concludes that cyberattacks go beyond data theft or infrastructure disruption—they are psychological operations engineered to degrade trust, polarize societies, and manipulate decision-making. This research provides a new interpretive tool for recognizing and countering cognitive threats in cyber warfare by mapping these tactics onto the OODA Loop and identifying reflexive patterns in media coverage.

Comments

This thesis is an original academic work submitted in partial fulfillment of undergraduate degree requirements for the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College. Portions of it may be revised for future publication.

Available for download on Tuesday, May 25, 2027

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