Online attacks will be on the rise as more governments strategize how to use cyberspace as the next battlefield. A startling new report finds that national security could be threatened by attacks that hit the heart of the Web.
Digital Journal — In the future, it won’t be artillery and nuclear weapons as the main tools of warfare. Rather, a new report suggests, a “cyber cold war” could involve attacks on Internet targets such as financial markets and government computer systems and utilities.
Nearly 120 countries are trying to figure out ways to use the Internet as a new battlefield strategy, according to Internet security company McAfee. Cyber crime has evolved to become larger than personal identity theft attacks.
Jeff Green, senior vice president of McAfee Avert Labs, told Reuters: “Cyber crime is now a global issue. It has evolved significantly and is no longer just a threat to industry and individuals but increasingly to national security.”
Leading this burgeoning front of cyber warfare is China, McAfee’s report states. China is responsible for attacks in the U.S., India and Germany, although China denies any wrongdoing.
James Mulvenon, director of the Center for Intelligence and Research in Washington, said in the report: “The Chinese were first to use cyber-attacks for political and military goals.”
This kind of cyber crime may involve phishing or Trojan horse attacks, as well as threats to unpatched vulnerabilities.
The report cautioned that attacks against Estonia in April and May were just the beginning of a global threat mobilizing against businesses, government sectors and institutions.
EU Information Society commissioner Viviane Reding said in June that Russia’s attack on Estonia acted as a wake-up call. She said, “We have to wake up our governments… If people do not understand the urgency now, they never will.”
Political, military and economic espionage are all possibilities as cyber crime evolves into new branches of highly coordinated cells.
No longer can governments simply scoff at the idea of hackers or cyber attacks; today’s complex Internet landscape requires the security strength that citizens enjoy on the ground. A secure cyberspace should be no different.
