Latest News
- Digitized Force to Face Cyberwar (Federal Computer Week, 16 Mar 01)
- Military Says Computer Attacks are Not Completely Unpredictable (Aviation Week, 23 Feb 01)
- 'Cyberwars' Bring Real-World Conflict to the Web (Smart Business, 16 Feb 01)
- OLDER ARTICLES ARCHIVED BELOW
The Problem
- Our information technologies - especially the Internet - are revolutionizing nearly every aspect of life. However, our reliance on these technologies also makes us vulnerable to foreign attack.
Background
- Information has always been a central component of government and military activity. It has also always been vulnerable, which is why leaders throughout history have kept secrets and used codes.
- The Internet's predecessors were created in part out of a recognition that critical information must move from place to place even if an entire region and its computers are destroyed.
- However, once the Internet became an international phenomenon, its main asset (decentralized communication) became a potential Achilles' Heel.
- The conventional definitions of war (an armed conflict between nations) and terrorism (politically motivated violence aimed to influence an audience) do not strictly apply, so "cyberwarfare" and "cyberterrorism" are often used as an umbrella terms for electronic attacks that are not merely criminal in nature.
- Nations involved in international conflicts can use - and have used - computer networks to launch attacks. Cyberwarfare appeals to many foreign entities because it is a a low-cost alternative to initiating real violence.
The Types of Cyberwarfare
Here are some varieties of cyberwar,
ranked from mildest to most severe:
- Web vandalism. Foreign opponents can deactivate or deface government or military Web pages. (This is usually just a nuisance and easy to undo.)
- Disinformation campaigns. The Internet is a popular tool for finding news, and can be used to spread mis- and dis-information to affect a population's beliefs or psychology. The Net can also be used as a platform for rhetoric to incite sympathizers. (This is difficult to implement quickly.)
- Gathering secret data. Classified information that is not handled securely can be intercepted and even tampered with. (Foreign espionage has always been a threat, but now there is less a need for foreign intelligence operatives to physically infiltrate a location.)
- Disruption in the field. Military activities are carefully coordinated, and heavily dependent upon electronic communications transmitted over computers and satellites. Opponents can block, intercept these vital communications, or pollute them with false orders or responses. (This type of cyberwar severely endangers the lives of soldiers in the field.)
- Attacking critical infrastructure. Many components of our national critical infrastructure - electricity, water, fuel, communications, transportation - are surprisingly vulnerable to concerted electronic attack. Serious domestic disasters, including financial meltdown, are possible. (This type of cyberwar poses the most direct threat to civilians.)
Recent Incidents of Cyberwar
- China, which is reportedly considering developing a fourth branch of its People's Liberation Army devoted solely cyberwarfare, has engaged in back-and-forth sniping with Taiwan. Also, attacks upon U.S. and Japanese computers have been traced to China. According to a report from the U.S. military (dated June 2000), "China’s military planners recognize that... over-dependence on information systems is a potential weakness... Combining information warfare - such as computer hacking - with irregular special and guerilla operations, would allow China to mount destructive attacks within the enemy’s own operations systems, while avoiding a major head-on confrontation." (For more on prospective Chinese cyberwar strategies, read Unrestricted Warfare [file is in PDF format], a book of military proposals written by two young Chinese military officers in February 1999. Also, here is an interesting undated study from the U.S. Army's Foreign Military Studies Office: "Chinese Information War Theory and Practice.")
- Although reports are unclear, the U.S. may have engaged in cyberwarfare activity to handicap Serbian forces in the recent military operation in Kosovo. Also, hackers working for the government and military have demonstrated U.S. vulnerability to cyberattacks in controlled exercises at least as early as June 1997.
- According to expert testimony before the Senate, a "band of Russian hackers" was responsible for stealing an "enormous amount of research and development secrets from U.S. corporate and government entities in an operation codenamed Moonlight Maze by American intelligence."
- A blizzard of cyberattacks - from viruses to Web page defacements - followed the breakdown of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process in October 2000. (See below for related articles.)
What Happens Next?
The U.S. government and military have been studying the possibility of cyberwarfare for years, although it has only recently become a realistic threat. The U.S. military is convinced that "operations within the information domain will become as important as those conducted in the domains of sea, land, air, and space." (Source: Joint Vision 2020. Read the full report here, in MS-Word format.)
Should the U.S. military train for offensive cyberwar, instead of just defensive? Clearly, yes. Not preparing to practice cyberwar offensively would leave us at a strategic disadvantage and would deprive us of valuable practical knowledge that could help us defensively.
- Feds Say Cuba Might Attempt "Information Warfare" Against U.S. (Wired, 9 Feb 01)
- Could a Cyberwar Cripple the U.S.? (IDG, 24 Jan 01)
- Both Sides Hacked Over Kashmir (Times of India, 23 Dec 00)
- ESSAY: Information Warfare -- Time to Prepare (Issues in Science and Tech, Winter 00)
- U.S. National Guard Tapped for Infowar Duties (UPI, 6 Dec 00)
- Palestinian Crackers Share Their Cyber-Weapons (Wired, 2 Dec 00)
- Hackers Worldwide Fan Flames in Mid-East Conflict (Computer User, 25 Nov 00)
- U.S. Army Kick-Starts Cyberwar Machine (IDG, 22 Nov 00)
- Hacking for Israel (Israel Globes, 15 Nov 00)
- U.S. May Face Net-Based Holy War (Computerworld, 13 Nov 00)
- When Point and Shoot Becomes Point and Click (NY Times, 12 Nov 00 - free registration required)
- Pro-Palestinian Hackers Threaten AT&T (TechWeb, 10 Nov 00)
- Hacking in the Holy Land (Industry Standard, 9 Nov 00)
- Hacker War Rages in Holy Land (Wired, 8 Nov 00)
- Mid-East Cyberwar Heats Up (ZDNet, 6 Nov 00)
- U.S. Cyberwarfare Operations May Unify (Federal Computer Week, 30 Oct 00)
- Pings and E-Arrows Fly in Mid-East Cyberwar (Washington Post, 27 Oct 00)
- Israeli-Arab Warfare, Web Style (Reuters, 20 Oct 00)
- U.S. Spy Chief: Cyberspace is a Potential Battlefield (Reuters, 17 Oct 00)
- Taiwan on Guard for Cyberwar (BBC, 10 Oct 00)
- Russia Fears Use of Information Weapons (Itar-Tass, 5 Oct 00)
- Transnational Hacking Groups Rally Putting Nations on Cyberwar Alert (WorldNetDaily, 30 Sep 00)
- Israel Ready for Cyberwar (Jerusalem Post, 29 Sep 00)
- Armenia and Azerbaijan Engaged in an "Infowar" (First Monday, Sep 00)
- Defense Chief: Superpower Status Has a Downside (Federal Computer Week, 28 Aug 00)
- Superpower Status Risks Cyberattack (Federal Computer Week, 24 Aug 00)
- Tech Firms Should be Drafted (ZDNet, 22 Aug 00)
- China Gears for Battle With "Enemy Forces" on Web (Reuters, 9 Aug 00)
- Report Says Taiwan Military to Show Off Computer Virus Capability (China Times, 7 Aug 00)
- Sites Supposedly Hit in "Cyberwar" Actually Hacked by Teens (World Tribune, 31 Jul 00)
- Transnational Threats: China and Russia Planning "Electronic Disruptions" (San Jose Mercury-News, 10 Jul 00)
- Muslim Rebels and Filipino Soldiers Send One Another Insulting Messages by Cell Phone (NY Times, 5 Jul 00 - free registration required)
- Information Security Poses Allied Communication Challenge (Federal Computer Week, 21 Jun 00)
- Clinton Aide: 'Hostile' Nations Probing U.S. Networks (Reuters, 19 Jun 00)
- Pentagon Envisions Cyber-warfare Rise (Washington Times, 31 May 00 - EXPIRED)
- Military Using Kosovo Lessons to Redefine Cyberwarfare (Federal Computer Week, 29 May 00)
- Defense Firms Help Prepare Military for Cyberwar (Associated Press, 18 May 00)
- China Accelerating Information Warfare Capabilities (U.S. Defense.com, 10 May 00)
- Russian Legislator Touts Computer Virus as Weapon (Washington Post, 9 May 00)
- Serb hackers on the rampage (BBC, 14 Apr 00)
- Utah Senator Fears Cyberwar, Leads New Critical Infrastructure Working Group (Deseret News, 28 Mar 00)
- Hacker-controlled tanks, planes and warships? (Federal Computer Week, 21 Mar 00)
- Kashmir Conflict Continues to Escalate Online (CNN, 20 Mar 00)
- A Glimpse of Cyberwarfare (US News & World Report, issue dated 13 Mar 00)
- Rep. Horn Calls for Cyber Security Czar (Newsbytes, 9 Mar 00)
- Chinese Cyberforce Threatens Taiwan (London Times, 8 Mar 00)
- Experts Warn Congress of Cyber-attacks (U.S. Senate, 2 Mar 00)
- Serbs Hacked into British Military Supercomputer (London Express, 27 Feb 00)
- CIA Warns of Cyber-threat from Russia & China (ZDNet, 23 Feb 00)
- Rules of Cyberwar Baffle U.S. Government Agencies (National Defense Magazine, Feb 00)
- Tech-Savvy Taiwan Says It's Ready for Cyberwar with China (CNN, 11 Jan 00)
- U.S. Plots Cyberwarfare Strategy (Reuters, 5 Jan 00)
- DoD Information Operations (Business2.0, Jan 00)
- The Future of War Lies with Information (IDG, 29 Dec 99)
- ESSAY: Operations Security in Danger (InfoWar.com, 20 Dec 99)
- Hong King Cyberwarriors Build anti-China techno army (WorldNetDaily, 16 Dec 99)
- U.S. Defenses Under Daily Attack from Cyberspace (LA Times, via Sydney Morning Herald, 4 Nov 99)
- Cyberterrorism Hype (Jane's Intelligence Review, 21 Oct 99)
- Experts: Gov’t cyber security is insufficient (USA Today, 19 Oct 99)
- Cyberwarfare Breaks the Rules of Military Engagement (NY Times, 17 Oct 99)
- Pakistani Coup Spreads to Internet (BBC, 13 Oct 99)
- Pentagon Sets Up New Center for Waging Cyberwar (NY Times, 8 Oct 99)
- FBI Traces String of Internet Raids to Russia (Reuters via TechWeb, 7 Oct 99)
- Kosovo Ushers in Cyberwar (Fed Computer Week, 27 Sep 99)
- Cyberwarfare: Fact or Fiction? (Jane's Intelligence Review, 21 Sep 99)
- China, Taiwan in Web Hacking "War" (ZDNet, 11 Aug 99)
- CIA's "Cyberwar" is Just Computer Crime (ZDNet, 27 May 99)
- New Cyberterrorism Called "Netwar" (Federal Computer Week, 3 May 99)
- Pentagon Needs Cyberattack Authority (Federal Computer Week, 22 Mar 99)
- Defense Department Sees Little New Funding to Fight Cyberterrorism (Federal Computer Week, 11 Feb 99)
- Virtual Country "Nuked" on Net (BBC, 26 Jan 99)
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