Throughout history new technologies have revolutionized warfare — think of the chariot, gunpowder, aircraft, radar, and nuclear fission. The same is true about information technology. Modern societies are increasingly reliant on computer systems linked to the Internet, giving enemies more avenues of attack. Cyberspace has become the fifth domain of warfare, following land, sea, air, and space. The threat emerges that the systems that keep our modern world turning suddenly fail.
This form of warfare is new, complex, and multifaceted — making it difficult to describe and understand, let alone predict. What might cyber warfare look like? A computer bug brings down military email systems. Oil refineries and pipelines explode. Air-traffic-control systems collapse. Freight and metro trains derail. Financial data are scrambled. Electrical grids fail. Orbiting satellites spin out of control. Society breaks down as food becomes scarce and money runs out. Worst of all, the attacker’s identity may remain a mystery. It is the anonymity of cyberwarfare that has states struggling to protect themselves.
The cyber attacks on Estonia in 2007 and on Georgia in 2008 illustrate this point. These attacks are widely assumed to have been directed by the Kremlin in Moscow, yet could only be traced to private Russian cyber criminals. Many of the computers used in the attack belonged to innocent Americans whose personal computers had been hijacked. Similarly, several companies suspect China of organizing mini-raids to ransack Western intelligence. Yet these attacks could just have easily been carried out by Western criminals, computer hackers showing off, or disillusioned former employees.
The Internet was designed for convenience and reliability, not security. Yet by wiring the globe together, a new virtual wilderness has emerged. Cyberspace does not require a passport, and police forces are confined to state borders, leaving criminals free to roam in this wilderness. Governments are beginning to recognize these threats, and are developing new technologies and policies aimed to enhance their cyber security.
As information technology advances at lightning speed, so does the capacity to wage wars in cyberspace. The first round of attacks have already hit worldwide:
Canada
January 2011
The Canadian government alleges that Chinese hackers infiltrated the federal Finance Department and Treasury Board. The Chinese government denies playing any role in the cyber attacks.
Iran
July 2010
The Stuxnet computer virus infects 62,867 Iranian computers between July and August 2010. Internet security experts speculate that the virus was targeting “high value infrastructure” in Iran — specifically the country’s controversial nuclear facilities. The virus may have originated in Israel or the United States, though this remains unconfirmed.
United States
June 2010
United States Senator Joseph Lieberman introduces a bill called Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset Act, (or, as it was contentiously dubbed by the media, “The Internet Kill Switch Bill.”) Lieberman, and the bill’s co-sponsor Senator Susan Collins, are forced to defend the bill from allegations that it would give the president too much power to control or even shut down the Internet in the event of a national security emergency.
United States
2007
An unknown foreign power breaks into several federal departments, military agencies, and possibly NASA, stealing several terabytes of information. Due to the amount of secret information stolen, experts dubbed the event the “espionage Pearl Harbour.”
Brazil
September 2007
An attack causes major disruptions over a two-day period in the southeastern state of Espírito Santo, affecting more than three million people in dozens of cities. In the state capital of Vitória, the world’s largest iron ore producer, Vale, has seven plants taken offline. This ultimately costs the company seven million dollars. There is no known motive for the attack.
Estonia
Late April-May 2007
The first cyberwar to occur between two states is spurred by the Estonian government’s decision to move a Soviet World War II monument. The Russians respond by immediately launching a massive assault on Estonia’s digital infrastructure. Following the attack, Estonia’s Minister of Defense compares the subsequent economic effects to the nation’s sea ports being shut down.
