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Cyber warfare involves using the internet to wage war, with real effects in the physical world. It is an issue of major concern among nations, with every national military having a branch dedicated to conducting and defending against it. The three main sectors targeted are financial, infrastructure, and government. Military systems are also susceptible to virtual attacks, and major nations are devoting vast amounts of energy and money to cyber warfare. China has received the most press for its programs, but reports of the US and Russia’s programs have also surfaced.
Cyber warfare is a term used to describe the use of the Internet to wage war in the virtual world, often with real effects in the physical world. While cyber warfare generally refers to attacks by one sovereign state on another in cyberspace, it can also be used to describe attacks between companies, by terrorist organizations, or simply attacks by individuals called hackers, who are perceived to be belligerent in their intent. . In recent years, cyber warfare has become an issue of major concern among major nations on the planet, and virtually every national military now has a branch dedicated to both conducting and defending against cyber warfare.
As the world becomes more networked, the most crucial systems become susceptible to attacks in cyberspace. While some military systems remain accessible only by being present in an on-site terminal, the vast majority of critical systems that control modern nations are now connected to the Internet in one way or another. Although these systems are defended by high levels of security, they are still fragile and cyber warfare is concerned with finding weaknesses and exploiting them.
There are three main sectors targeted by most nations involved in cyber warfare: financial, infrastructure, and government. Financial attacks could disrupt major world markets by suppressing electronically controlled commodity exchanges or shutting down the web-based operations of major banks or retailers. Infrastructure attacks can harm a nation by shutting down critical utility systems, such as power grids, or disrupting others, such as opening dams, or interfering with the air traffic control system. Government attacks can prevent government officials from communicating with each other, steal secret digital communications, or release information such as tax information, social security information, or other personal data to the public.
In 2009, a report was released showing that the US power grid was incredibly susceptible to attacks in cyberspace, which could cripple the nation by cutting off electricity to hundreds of millions of people. The report stated that the network had already been hacked by both Russia and China, who had left behind software that could be activated remotely to control the system. While such an attack has not yet occurred anywhere in the world, when combined with a conventional military attack it could prove catastrophic.
Many critical military systems are also susceptible to virtual attacks. Satellite systems, for example, while protected by extensive security, have occasionally been hacked. If an enemy takes control of spy satellites or satellites that provide GPS data to aircraft and missiles, it could be a major blow to the military.
In recent years, it has become apparent that the world’s leading military nations are devoting vast amounts of energy and money to cyber warfare. China has received the most press for its programs, but reports of both the US and Russia’s programs have also surfaced. While these attacks have been, for the most part, benevolent, they are laying the groundwork for future wars that could primarily be fought through the use of communications technology.
