Aquinas’ Malware: How old theologies can shape the ethical use of new weapons

Emerging military technologies and weapon systems, such as cyber warfare, increasingly rely on the strategic use of deception for their effectiveness. While deception has long played a central role in armed conflict, ethicists and theologians have historically sought to distinguish between its just and unjust applications. While cyber weapons may represent a uniquely modern warfighting tool, this article argues that longstanding moral and theological frameworks, namely the just war tradition and the foundational thought of Saint Thomas Aquinas, remain well-suited for assessing the ethical character of deceptive military practices in the domain of cyberspace.