Throughout the ages, the periods of greatest technological advancement has been periods of turmoil, most specifically war, barring only the renaissance. History has seen us go from clubs to swords to automatic guns. The first world war gave us tanks and the second gave us jet aircrafts. With advanced times come advanced weaponry, refined and sophisticated in its capabilities, and what more potent a weapon than the all-pervasive internet. In this information age, there is no deadlier weapon than information.
While various armament companies such as Heckler and Koch, Barrett, Smith and Wesson, Kruger and Glock to name a few keep on researching smart bombs, pinpoint accuracy rifles and what not, the great arsenals of the world have begun to consider a paradigm shift to augment their ever-burgeoning stash of modern day weaponry. In this age of the atom and the electron, the face of warfare has changed. While in the past there was no secrecy in marching an army into enemy territory, the wars today are all about covert operations and misinformation. The other new addition is the birth of the cyber-warriors. They are the ultimate when it comes gaining sensitive information without getting caught.
This new unconventional addition relies on the capability of crackers (black-hat hackers) to collect sensitive data, disrupt normal functioning and otherwise inconvenience in every possible way, the target country as a whole at all levels. The most convenient thing about this form of warfare is the complete lack of bloodshed in it. No, this is not a humanitarian gimmick, what I really mean is that if you don't die, you can keep on fighting! Also, the host government who initiates the attack maintains complete deniability.
Not convinced ? Do you still think that this is some outlandish conspiracy theory ?
Well, the truth is that this form of warfare is hardly anything new. For example, Russia is known to have initiated cyber attacks against Estonia in 2007 in retaliation for an Estonian decision to relocate a Soviet war memorial. Russian hackers are some of the smartest and scariest in the world. They are more than capable of accomplishing a lot more. Another example that deserves mentioning is the attack of a private company. Mitsibushi Heavy Electronics (MHI) have been on the receiving end of this form of attack for quite some time now. MHI was attacked on multiple occasions due to their line of products which include all the Japanese Naval submarines and even F-15 construction for Lockheed Martin. Those F-15s arm not just the U.S Air Force but a number of other countries as well. Rumours have been flying thick and fast that these attacks have been undertaken at the behest of the PLA (People's Liberation Army) cyber warfare unit known as the Blue Army. In case you are not aware, the PLA is the unified military organization of all land, sea, strategic missile and air forces of the People's Republic of China.
How long will it take for the Chinese to divert their attention from the Japanese and focus it on India instead? Who knows, given our poor cyber security record, they have already penetrated Indian cyber networks and are operating inside our country but outside our knowledge. What is to stop them from stealing research from the top-notch academies and research organizations we have or even taking over our nuclear arsenal?
In future, cyber attacks should be dealt with as seriously as other more conventional modes of warfare as it is no less than infringing the territorial integrity of the nation being attacked. If cyber criminals can harm people over the internet, organized groups with the same skill set can bring a country to its knees. While many of you might be thinking of Bruce Willis in Die Hard 4.0, it will probably take more than one senior detective to stop a military effort of that level, even if that detective be John McClane.
[P.S : Forgive me Bruce Willis, don't get me wrong, I am a die hard "Die Hard" fan. Yipee Kay Yay, <censored expletive / colourful profanity>....]
While various armament companies such as Heckler and Koch, Barrett, Smith and Wesson, Kruger and Glock to name a few keep on researching smart bombs, pinpoint accuracy rifles and what not, the great arsenals of the world have begun to consider a paradigm shift to augment their ever-burgeoning stash of modern day weaponry. In this age of the atom and the electron, the face of warfare has changed. While in the past there was no secrecy in marching an army into enemy territory, the wars today are all about covert operations and misinformation. The other new addition is the birth of the cyber-warriors. They are the ultimate when it comes gaining sensitive information without getting caught.
This new unconventional addition relies on the capability of crackers (black-hat hackers) to collect sensitive data, disrupt normal functioning and otherwise inconvenience in every possible way, the target country as a whole at all levels. The most convenient thing about this form of warfare is the complete lack of bloodshed in it. No, this is not a humanitarian gimmick, what I really mean is that if you don't die, you can keep on fighting! Also, the host government who initiates the attack maintains complete deniability.
Not convinced ? Do you still think that this is some outlandish conspiracy theory ?
Well, the truth is that this form of warfare is hardly anything new. For example, Russia is known to have initiated cyber attacks against Estonia in 2007 in retaliation for an Estonian decision to relocate a Soviet war memorial. Russian hackers are some of the smartest and scariest in the world. They are more than capable of accomplishing a lot more. Another example that deserves mentioning is the attack of a private company. Mitsibushi Heavy Electronics (MHI) have been on the receiving end of this form of attack for quite some time now. MHI was attacked on multiple occasions due to their line of products which include all the Japanese Naval submarines and even F-15 construction for Lockheed Martin. Those F-15s arm not just the U.S Air Force but a number of other countries as well. Rumours have been flying thick and fast that these attacks have been undertaken at the behest of the PLA (People's Liberation Army) cyber warfare unit known as the Blue Army. In case you are not aware, the PLA is the unified military organization of all land, sea, strategic missile and air forces of the People's Republic of China.
How long will it take for the Chinese to divert their attention from the Japanese and focus it on India instead? Who knows, given our poor cyber security record, they have already penetrated Indian cyber networks and are operating inside our country but outside our knowledge. What is to stop them from stealing research from the top-notch academies and research organizations we have or even taking over our nuclear arsenal?
In future, cyber attacks should be dealt with as seriously as other more conventional modes of warfare as it is no less than infringing the territorial integrity of the nation being attacked. If cyber criminals can harm people over the internet, organized groups with the same skill set can bring a country to its knees. While many of you might be thinking of Bruce Willis in Die Hard 4.0, it will probably take more than one senior detective to stop a military effort of that level, even if that detective be John McClane.
[P.S : Forgive me Bruce Willis, don't get me wrong, I am a die hard "Die Hard" fan. Yipee Kay Yay, <censored expletive / colourful profanity>....]
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