5

CYBER
WARFARE

By Aryan Singh
 Table of Content

1 Introduction
3 Types
5 Operation

2 Impact
4 Working
6 Combat
What is cyber warfare?
Cyber warfare is a deliberate and strategic use of
cyberattacks against a nation to gain military or strategic
advantages. It involves infiltrating networks, sabotaging
infrastructure, and disrupting the operations of
organizations and institutions vital to the target nation’s
interests. Its main purpose is to weaken the country by
undermining social cohesion, political stability, and
military-industrial capacity.
Sometimes referred to as digital warfare, cyber
warfare can include attacks on:
•Civil infrastructure, such as power grids or
traffic management systems
•Financial institutions, such as banks and credit
unions
•Military facilities, contractors, and other national
security institutions
•Individual citizens of the target country
What is the impact of cyber warfare?
Cyber warfare poses diverse risks, including identity theft, financial loss,
and physical harm due to infrastructure disruption. Broadly, it can sow
chaos, erode public trust, and escalate to civil unrest and political
instability.

1.Power failures
Disruption to the national electrical grid can harm the economy and
affect public opinion.
2.Cybersecurity breaches
Hacking attacks may corrupt software systems or compromise sensitive
government networks.
3.Data leaks
Large-scale data breaches can impact a range of personally identifiable
information, such as medical records or banking details.
4.Military or industrial sabotage
Direct attacks on a country’s national security or economic infrastructure
degrade military or industrial capabilities.
5.Communications disruption
Telephone, mobile, email, or other digital communications can be shut
down, intercepted, or otherwise tampered with.
Types of Cyber Warfare Attacks

Espionage Electrical Power Grid

In cyber warfare, espionage entails using techniques like botnets Attacks on the power grid can disable critical
and spear phishing to infiltrate and steal sensitive information systems, disrupt infrastructure, and cause harm,
from other nations' computer systems. including communication outages and service
unavailability.

Sabotage Economic Disruption

Governments must assess and safeguard sensitive information Attackers can target economic systems' computer
against theft, destruction, and insider threats, including networks, including stock markets, payment systems,
disgruntled or careless employees and those affiliated with and banks, to steal money or disrupt access to funds.
attacking entities.

Denial-of-service (DoS) Attacks Propaganda Attacks

DoS attacks block legitimate website access by overwhelming it Propaganda seeks to influence minds by revealing
with fake requests, disrupting critical operations for civilians, embarrassing truths, spreading lies to erode trust in
military, security personnel, or research bodies. one's country, or aligning individuals with
adversaries.
How does Cyber Warfare work?

Un-targeted cyber attacks

These attacks indiscriminately target numerous devices, services, or users
without concern for specific victims, exploiting vulnerabilities in various
machines or services.
• phishing
• water holing
• ransomware

Targeted cyber attacks

An organization is singled out due to specific interest or payment to the
attacker. Extensive groundwork precedes the attack, aiming to find
optimal routes to exploit systems or users directly. Targeted attacks,
tailored for maximum impact, can be more damaging than un-targeted
ones, affecting office and sometimes home environments.
• spear-phishing
• deploying a botnet
• subverting the supply chain
How does Cyber Warfare work?
Stages of an attack
Regardless of target specificity or tool type, cyber attacks share common stages. Whether from a persistent adversary or not, these stages
involve probing defenses for weaknesses, bringing the attacker closer to their ultimate goal. Understanding these stages enhances defense
strategies.
We have adopted a simplified version of the Cyber Kill Chain (produced by Lockheed Martin) to describe the four main stages present in
most cyber attacks:
•Survey - investigating and analyzing available information about the target in order to identify potential vulnerabilities
•Delivery - getting to the point in a system where a vulnerability can be exploited
•Breach - exploiting the vulnerability/vulnerabilities to gain some form of unauthorized access
•Affect - carrying out activities within a system that achieve the attacker’s goal
 Cyber warfare operations
Cyber warfare operations are offensive or defensive cyber activities carried out to protect national
interests or harm another nation-state. They are usually undertaken by military task forces or
government-affiliated hacking groups.

•Stuxnet (2010) was the first cyber warfare tool intended to cause physical harm to
infrastructure. Stuxnet was a malware cyberweapon that targeted Iranian nuclear centrifuges and
caused substantial disruption to the country’s nuclear program.

•The Sony Pictures hack (2014) saw a state-affiliated hacking group from North Korea leak
confidential documents belonging to Sony Pictures Entertainment. The attack was in response to
the release of “The Interview,” a Hollywood film portraying North Korea in an unfavorable light.

•Wannacry (2017) was a ransomware attack originating from North

Korea. Wannacry exploited a Windows vulnerability to revoke data access across
hundreds of thousands of PCs in 150 countries.

•Blackouts in Mumbai, India (2020) are thought to have been part of a Chinese
cyberattack conducted as a “warning” against India.

•The Russian invasion of Ukraine (2022-present) has seen an unprecedented

escalation in digital warfare. As well as the ongoing physical conflict, the use of wiper
malware targeting Ukrainian organizations has been widespread.
 How to combat Cyber Warfare
1. Cyber wargames assess readiness, expose gaps, and improve
cooperation in responding to cyber warfare.
• Test different and unusual scenarios.
• Enhance division of labor and cooperation mechanisms.
• Improve and test government policies through simulation.
2. Layered defense in national security policies involves securing the
cyber ecosystem, raising awareness, promoting standards, implementing
assurance frameworks, and collaborating with private organizations.
3. Corporate cybersecurity measures for national security:
• Create network obstacles.
• Utilize web application firewalls (WAF) for quick detection and
response.
• Ensure rapid breach response to restore business operations.
• Facilitate public-private cooperation.
• Engage local hackers to protect against foreign cyber threats.
4.Network Segmentation
5.Encrypt Sensitive data