McAfee warns of new-age cyber warfare

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Chennai: McAfee Inc has revealed that the global cyber arms race has moved from fiction to reality, according to its fifth annual Virtual Criminology Report. The report found that politically motivated cyber attacks have increased and five countries—the US, Russia, France, Israel and China—are now armed with cyber weapons.

The report, for the first time, provides a model to define cyberwar, identifies the countries involved in developing cyber offences and cyber defences, dissects examples of politically-motivated cyber attacks and reveals how the private sector will get caught in the crossfire. Government disclosure is also a major issue, as cyber initiatives and information are often classified, hindering cybercrime defence in the public and private sector.

Experts call for a clear definition and an open debate on cyber warfare. Without an open discussion among the government, private sector and the public, future cyber attacks targeting critical infrastructure could be devastating, the report pointed out.

The report found that over the past year, the increase in politically motivated cyber attacks has raised alarm and caution, with targets including the White House, department of homeland security, US secret service and department of defence in the US alone. Nation-states are actively developing cyberwarfare capabilities and are involved in the cyber arms race, targeting government networks and critical infrastructure. The result of a cyber attack of this nature can result in physical damage and death.

Attackers are not only building their cyber defences, but resorting to cyber offences, targeting infrastructure such as power grids, transportation, telecommunication, finance and water supplies as damage can be done quickly and with little effort. In most developed countries, critical infrastructure is connected to the Internet and lacks proper security functions, leaving these installations vulnerable to attacks.

Without the appropriate protection combined with the current lack of preparedness, an attack on these infrastructure would be detrimental and will cause more destruction than any previous attacks.

Cyberwarfare entangles so many different actors in so many different ways that the rules of engagement are not clearly defined. Additionally, there is debate on how much responsibility should be placed on organisations to protect and educate the public on preventing cyber attacks. Without a proper definition in place, it is nearly impossible to determine when a political response or threat of military action is warranted.