Cyberwarfare, Here and Now?

A new report from McAfee claims that cyberwarfare is no longer a threat of the future; opposing forces are, right now, forming offensive and defensive teams and strategies for conducting war online. Five countries - France, North Korea, Germany, China, and the UK - are known to be preparing for war conducted via the Internet. The report does not, however, clearly define "cyberwarfare," nor what it comprises.

America is not only known to have cyberwar protocol in-place, it has used it in the past. U.S. forces hacked Iraqi networks and computers as part of its ground forces maneuvers. It is said to be using hacks as part of its efforts to police the nation.

The problems cyberwarfare pose to national infrastructures and communications networks aside, another issue is anonymity and the fact that cyber attacks can be launched with little to no money. All that is really needed is a computer, some specific software, and the knowledge of how to use it. Through a system of firewall(s) and proxy servers, exactly who is responsible for such an attack may never be known.

According to one security expert, although governments are finally "waking-up" to the threat, they are years behind enterprising criminals who can setup operations and carry-out attacks basically overnight.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009