What is Cyberwar? How Cyberwar is Changing the Future?

Cyberwar: A Frightening Future of Digital Conflict

Cyberwarfare refers to digital attacks done by a country to disrupt computers, IoT devices, and automated systems with the aim of creating damage, death, and destruction of technological infrastructure.

Internet security experts see it as a possibility where computer codes are weapons and fighting alongside troops, standard weapons like guns, tanks, drones, and missiles.

As the world is going shadowy with hackers and secret digital weapons projects, cyber warfare now has become a topic of international conflicts.

During World War 1 and 2, Allies’ soldiers captured Axis’ war base, headquarters, and military grounds, finally resulting at the end of the war with a historic win, but filled with bloodshed.

Unlike then, computer codes in cyberwar will target headquarters and bases to destroy the electronically automated infrastructure by knocking out healthcare systems, airports, the banking system, power stations, etc.

So soon, a country with billions and trillions of the economy will receive its doomsday!

Nearly every system we use is pinned with computers, internet, and database management software. Nobody wants a war, but at some point, every country today is vulnerable to cyber threats.

Possibly, it is the one worst-case scenario! Every country should collaborate against the use of software, internet tools, codes, and cyberwar, in the same fashion it was done on nuclear weapons.

We daily get to know a couple of news about cyber attacks, internet security breaches, hacking, etc. on US citizens, Australian parliament, Russia’s military base, our social media accounts and more.

Such attacks in the purest sense define a conflict between states where we, individuals are being infected and looted by worms, trojans, malware, viruses, ransomware, and crypto miners respectively.

It is true that origination of attacks can occur from any location due to which the cyber crooks behind attacks always remain unknown and anonymous. On the contrary to this, our government’s cyber laws and security systems aren’t that strong to stop them from infiltration.

Digital attacks performed by a hacker and malicious programmers doesn’t come under the act of starting cyber warfare. The latest hacking attempt by China on the Australian Parliament must come under the law of launching a cyber war.

Sadly, Australia can’t act against China due to a lack of evidence to prove that China was behind the cyber attack on Australia.

Cyberwar History

The year 2007 was the first to witness the theoretical concept of cyberwar into a real incident when Estonia government, banks, businesses, etc. were bombarded with DDoS attacks from Russian hackers.

In the same year, Idaho National Laboratory proved that destruction of the physical object is possible with digital attacks. In 2010, Stuxnet malware attack and 2013’s BIOS chip attack gave highlight that malicious codes could do a lot to disrupt the functioning of hardware.

In 2014, the attack on Sony Pictures Entertainment blamed to North Korea showed, it is not only limited to government systems and data manipulation but can go far and reach out to as many as possible.

Before Christmas in 2015, hackers disrupted the power supply in many parts of Ukraine, with a Trojan named BlackEnergy. Recently, GreyEnergy malware was found attacking many individual computers at different corners of the world.

In March 2016, seven hackers of Iran were accused of attempting to shut down the New York dam.

NATO in 2014 confirmed that a cyber attack on any of its member would let them invoke Article 5 which is a collective defense mechanism. In 2016, cyberspace was defined as an "operational domain -- an area where conflict can occur.”

With this, the NATO declared that internet could become a battlefield further advanced by cyber threats like crypto miners, keyloggers, ransomware, phishing and spam mail, malicious encryption software, Data leaks, Oil corporation factory shutdown, etc.

Are Countries Preparing For Cyberwar?

Pretty much every single nation on earth is investing the money and harvesting skills in cyber warfare and cyber defense capabilities. According to intelligence reports, more than 30 countries are busy in developing cyber attack capabilities, and most of the government hacking programmes are veiled in secrecy.

There is no doubt that a secret cyber arms race is in progress which will soon be judged by a hidden compilation of mysterious attacks.

The USA, Russia, China, Iran, Israel, and North Korea are major cyber threat actors with highly advanced offensive and defensive cyber programs that can conduct damage and attacks to critical infrastructure of networks.

There is no point in denying that preparations by the government are already in progress. But, one must stand to see where these new emerging technologies are going to be used?

The cyber combat mission forces are already in use by the countries to trail down every malicious activity. Additionally, the combat force is getting trained in advanced military cyber operations.

A glimpse of such combat force was seen in 2018 when the UK and USA publicly stated the British intelligence services used cyber attacks by against the terror group ISIS.

It is a start of cyberwarfare, but in a good way, in favor of world peace and against terror groups. The only thing that remains now is;

Does terror groups have the potential to respond back in the same language of cyber threats and malicious codes?

If governments are investing in cyber warfare, then it does have some advantages for us but disadvantages for others.

Also, Read: Eftpos Malware Hits More Than 130 Stores in US [Latest Update]

Use of Cyber Weapons in Cyber Warfare

The weapons act as a potent force against the cybersecurity tools. Stronger the weapon becomes greater the impacts would be. However at present chances of such war is less, but as we said secret operations, threats and weapons are being made, deployable anytime soon.

• Ransomware: It is a constant source of trouble for governments, businesses, factories, and consumers that fall into the traps of file-encrypting malicious software. Wannacry, NotPetya, Gandcrab, etc. are some ransomware that was in the top list of cyber threats.
• Stuxnet: A computer worm that targets control systems in factories and industries causing physical damage to machines and computers. The USA and Israel developed it, but they both never confirmed it.
• Network Miners are those, whose fundamental mode of operation runs behind mining internet security.
• Malicious bots are capable of disrupting IoT devices and Android phones.
• Biometric technology is a new thing in the market; however, on the contrary side, there are hacking devices available to steal your data.
• The network security breach in automatic cars is also a prediction in the list of threats in 2019.

Common threats like virus, worms, risk tool, PUP, trojan, malware, cryptovirus, crypto miners, etc. belong to the category of cyber warfare weapons.

Will Cyberwar Happen?

Some argue cyberwar will not happen; others argue cyberwar has started and will take some time to come out in public openly. However, the bitter truth is we stand somewhere in the middle!

Let’s hope best from cyber laws and internet security laws! With the coming of new technologies, emerging technological models and increasing cybersecurity standards, cyber laws will get a space in the cyber world to prevent malicious activities, also cyberwars.

It's possible that cyber weapons can become dangerous in the future to bring out chaos, damage, and panic among the people. But it's unlikely that a war will be fought purely with the digital weapons.

This doesn't mean cyberwarfare is not relevant. It may look as if it is not happening soon; however, the possibility exists with the technological advancement in AI and ML.

Predicting an accurate date or time for the misconduct of cyberwarfare is impossible!

However, if such a war happens in near future, then mankind will lose billions and trillions of money without purpose.

But, from Hollywood movies like Blackhat, Untraceable, and James Bond: Golden Eye, predictions are possible where governments will try to hack satellites of other countries to start a frightening digital conflict.

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