Cyberwarfare: An Overview. By: DiLascio, Tracey M.

Points of View:
Cyberwarfare. 2015, p1-5. 5p. Abstract: An overview of the issue of
cyberwarfare is presented. Topics defined include Denial-of-Service (DoS)
attack, computer virus, and hacker. It is said that cyberwarfare is a form of
cybercrime that involves governments. Incidents targeting the U.S.
government, particularly military secrets, are noted. The 2009
establishment of the U.S. Cyber Command (USCYBERCMO) as a military
counter-espionage unit is addressed. Reading Level (Lexile): 1390. (AN:
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Cyberwarfare: An Overview
For as long as governments and corporations have been storing sensitive data on computer
systems, their opponents have been attacking those systems to try to gain access to that
data. While institutions have suffered billions of dollars in economic loss due to various forms
of computer crime, an increasing concern for government is the actual threat to life and limb
posed by vulnerabilities in the computer systems controlling basic national assets, from
military information to transportation networks, telecommunications, and the power grid.

Given the increasing reliance of both public and private infrastructure in the United States on
computer systems, the threat of cyberwarfare, or one country attacking the computer systems
of another, has received significant attention in the US government and press. This attention
generally increases whenever a particularly bad breach of security is made public. Some
people believe cyberwarfare poses a serious threat to both public and private interests in the
United States, and that more resources should be devoted to improving system security and
tracking down those responsible for any attacks. Others believe the threats are greatly
exaggerated and that government involvement in “cybersecurity” efforts is a profit windfall for
computer security companies, as well as a threat to privacy and freedom of the Internet.

Understanding the Discussion

Antivirus Software: Software designed to scan a computer system, identify potential computer
virus programs, and remove those programs from the computer.

Computer Virus: A generic term for a malicious and self-replicating program placed on a
computer without the user’s knowledge or consent.

Cyberwarfare: Organized attempts by one country to compromise the computer networks of

another, with the goal of disrupting basic systems such as the military, telecommunications,
transportation, or finance.

Denial-of-Service (DoS) Attack: An attack on a computer system, usually a website, intended

to render it unusable.

Hacker: A member of a computer programming subculture focused on understanding the

intricate details of computer systems and networks and on writing original programs, usually
for free distribution. Hackers sometimes use their skills for illicit purposes, such as gaining
access to secure networks and stealing information.
History
Ever since computers have been able to communicate with one another, people have been
finding ways to subvert this connectivity. Computer viruses, self-reproducing programs that
spread from computer to computer and disrupt their operations to varying degrees, predate
the existence of the Internet and are perhaps the most common computer security threat.
Other forms of computer crime (or cybercrime) can include hacking, or circumventing
computer security measures, either for fun or to steal information, such as financial data or
government secrets. Computer networks can also simply be prevented from operating
effectively, as in a denial-of-service (DoS) attack, in which a network is flooded with so many
bits of information that it either slows down or crashes completely. Antivirus and other
security software designed to protect users from these threats is now a multibillion-dollar
industry: the estimated revenue from worldwide sales of security software in 2008 reached
$13.5 billion, according to information technology research firm Gartner, Inc.

Cybercrime becomes cyberwarfare when the activity is sponsored by a state government and
directed against the assets of another state. Cyberwarfare can involve espionage, as when
government computer systems are infiltrated to steal military or other secrets, or it can
involve an attempt to disrupt the flow of information or the operation of computer systems.

A recent international incident widely considered an example of cyberwarfare took place in

2007, when the Internet infrastructure of Estonia was brought to a near standstill--including
the temporary shutdown of government, banking, and media websites--by a denial-of-service
attack believed to have been orchestrated by the Russian government. The attack took place
during a heated disagreement between Russia and Estonia over the relocation of a World War
II�era Soviet war memorial in Estonia. The following year, during the armed conflict between
Russia and Georgia over South Ossetia, similar DoS attacks of allegedly Russian origin were
reported.

The US government is a frequent target of less high-profile cyberattacks, and the threat
appears to be growing. In 2006, the Pentagon reported around 6 million attempts to break into
its computer systems.[AG1] By 2008, that number had increased to 360 million. While it is not
clear how serious these efforts were, or how many were successful, there have been several
confirmed instances of security breaches of classified US military data as a result of
cyberattacks.

A notable example of this took place in 2009, when intruders gained access to information
about the military’s newest aircraft development program, the $300-billion Joint Strike Fighter
project. The perpetrators--believed to be Chinese--gained access to documents describing the
aircraft’s design and performance statistics, as well as its in-flight self-diagnostic routines. It
was later learned that the information was accessed by hacking into the computers of the
contractors who were working on the aircraft designs. While the companies insist that no
classified information was obtained through the attacks because it was stored on computers
not connected to the Internet, the incident left many people feeling unsettled at the possibility
of such high-level military security vulnerabilities.

Also in 2009, there were reports that hackers had broken into the US Air Force’s air traffic
control system to gain secret information about the location of US fighter jets. While it is not
clear that anything was done with this information, the report again left government officials
and the general public feeling uneasy with the current level of cybersecurity in place for these
sensitive systems. It was believed that these attacks originated in China, although it is
difficult to determine exactly where a cyberattack originates because of the “borderless”
nature of cyberspace, and the relative ease of disguising one’s true location.
 Despite these highly publicized incidents, many people are skeptical about the true level of
threat the United States faces from cyberattacks. Computer security is a multibillion-dollar
industry, and many contractors in the information technology field stand to make huge
amounts of money from government and corporate spending on defense of their data and file
infrastructure. While no one denies that these attacks do happen, critics are concerned that
companies who stand to profit from fear mongering might be exaggerating the threat of an all-
out “cyber war,” in the interest of making money. Some even draw parallels to the Cold War,
when the United States and the Soviet Union were involved in an expensive arms race, as
each country tried to prepare itself for the attack it believed the other could launch. Then, as
now, some saw a shady connection between public fears and company profits.

In addition, because it is so new and so rapidly evolving, US cyberwarfare doctrine raises

issues surrounding government transparency, interagency cooperation, and international law--
especially regarding the offensive component of cyberwarfare. In 2008, for example, US
military officials determined that a website set up by the CIA and the government of Saudi
Arabia to entrap terrorists was, in fact, posing a threat to US troops in the region. Despite the
objections of the CIA and the Saudis, the Department of Defense launched a cyberattack that
disabled the website, which it said was helping rather than hindering terrorist activity. The
attack disrupted servers in Saudi Arabia, Germany, and Texas, raising yet another issue in
cyberwarfare: the difficulty of restricting the damage of an attack to the intended target.

Cyberwarfare Today
US President Barack Obama has been a strong supporter of efforts to secure computer
infrastructure against cyberattacks. For him, the issue is personal: his campaign web site was
hacked in 2008, and intruders gained access to e-mails, travel records, and other important
documents.

In 2009, a new military command was established, the United States Cyber Command
(USCYBERCOM), with the mission of protecting US military computer networks and disrupting
enemy actions in cyberspace. Cyber Command, which only became fully operational in May
2010, is expected to refine US cyberwarfare doctrine and policy guiding operations such as
the one in Saudi Arabia in 2008.

Cyber Command is exclusively tasked with military operations; the defense of US civilian
information infrastructure is the job of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). In 2008,
DHS established the National Cybersecurity Center, charged with protecting US government
communication and information networks. Also under DHS is the slightly broader National
Cyber Security Division.

 These essays and any opinions, information, or representations contained therein are
the creation of the particular author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of EBSCO
Information Services.

Bibliography
Books

Clarke, Richard A. and Robert K. Knake. Cyber War: The Next Threat to National Security and
What to Do About It. New York: HarperCollins, 2010. Print.

Periodicals

Danks, David, and Joseph H. Danks. “The Moral Permissibility of Automated Responses During
Cyberwarfare.” Journ. of Military Ethics 12.1 (2013): 18–33. Print.
Gorman, Siobhan, August Cole, and Yochi Dreazen. “Computer Spies Breach Fighter-Jet
Project.” WSJ.com. Wall Street Journal, 21 Apr. 2009. Web. 26 May 2011.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124027491029837401.html.

James, Randy. “A Brief History of Cybercrime.” TIME. Time, 1 June 2009. Web. 26 May 2011.
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1902073,00.html.

Kumar, Pankaj. “E-Commerce Data Security 2010: Learning from 2009’s Debacles.”
TechNewsWorld. ECT News Network, 18 Jan. 2010. Web. 26 May 2011.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/69129.html?wlc=1305932156.

Liff, Adam P. “Cyberwar: A New ‘Absolute Weapons’? The Proliferation of Cyberwarfare

Capabilities and Interstate War.” Journ. of Strategic Studies 35.3 (2012): 401–28. Print.

Morozov, Evgeny. “Battling the Cyber Warmongers.” WSJ.com. Wall Street Journal, 8 May
2010. Web. 26 May 2011.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704370704575228653351323986.html.

Nakashima, Ellen. “Dismantling of Saudi-CIA Web Site Illustrates Need for Clearer Cyberwar
Policies. Washington Post. Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2010. Web. 26 May 2011.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-
dyn/content/article/2010/03/18/AR2010031805464%5Fpf.html.

Weinberger, Sharon. “Computer Security: Is This the Start of Cyberwarfare?” Nature 9 Jun.
2011: 142–45. Print.

Websites

US Department of Defense. Cybersecurity. 2011. Web. 26 May 2011.

http://www.defense.gov/home/features/2010/0410%5Fcybersec/.

~~~~~~~~

By Tracey M. DiLascio

Tracey M. DiLascio is a practicing small business and intellectual property attorney in

Framingham, Massachusetts. Prior to establishing her practice, Ms. DiLascio taught writing
and social science courses in Massachusetts and New Jersey colleges, and served as a
judicial clerk in the New Jersey Superior Court. Ms. DiLascio is a graduate of Boston
University School of Law.

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