Recently, security software supplier Kaspersky identified Win32.Flame as malicious code that seems to have been developed, not by hackers, but by government agencies. Warring nations may set aside their bombs and wage their wars online.
We are still struggling with how to conceptualize an entirely covert cyberwar as a "war." Why isn't it just criminal activity or vandalism. Can it be a war if a nation state isn't accountable? Of course, we already faced that question with organized terrorism.
The end goal of War and cyberwar is essentially the same: disrupt the flow of goods (armed goods, electricity, manufacturing goods) from place to place. Doing it electronically may be quicker and less costly (in terms of human lives) than traditional means. The atomic bomb knocked out one city. A cyberbomb could bring down a nation, say knocking out their energy grid. You are right the possibilities are endless and scary. Unfortunately, it seems like many nations are already moving well down this path.
Paul the advantage of cyberwar over conventional war is that firstly it is covert and secondly it can bring down a country to its knee without any bloodshed thus avoiding the condemnation from international community. A research conducted by Cambridge University reported the discovery of a Chinese produced microprocessor used extensively by the US military is equipped with a backdoor that allows the chip to be reprogrammed.
Sheesh the world suddenly appears to be lot less safe.
It's not a matter of if, but when. Nothing is as devastating as physical war, however, cyberwar added to physical war as we've known it will up the ante in ways we can't even dream of, I'm sure.
Yeah, unfortunately I think we can look forward to cyberwar as an extension and expansion of war, not a replacement for physical warring. What a comforting time.
Yes, I think it unlikely that cyberwar will stay in the online realm. If it does, that would be trouble enough. But add other nefarious activities to it and things could get very ugly. War is always ugly and horrifying anyway.
The only mention of war be it online or in real world frightens me expecially when some leaders recently declared that they will send real bombs to those who will wage cyber warefare on them.
While NFC's original goal was to enhance mobile commerce applications, it is finding its way into a number of other uses, which is creating both opportunity as well as challenges for IT departments.
Enterprises would like to move to cloud computing but are hesitant because they are concerned about providers’ ability to secure company data. Here are some tips that help to ensure that if breaches occur, the business is not left holding the bag.
Big-data has become a big point of emphasis for many businesses. While the technology is available to deploy these applications, the needed personnel often is not. As a result, analytic engineers' salaries have blown past the six-figure mark, and hiring these experts has become a challenge for IT managers.
Increasingly, companies are using videoconferencing technology to help employees collaborate with co-workers, partners, and customers. As a result, demand for technicians is rising, and companies are finding it difficult to retain their quality workers.
Software-defined networks, which deliver virtualization functions to enterprise networks, have the potential to dramatically change network design and significantly reduce costs and maintenance.
A recent survey by Endace found that 23% of companies experience some type of network problem daily and another 25% have a serious problem each month. Enterprise networks are still very unreliable and probably will continue to be in the near term.
ITRC found that more than 600 security breaches took place in 2012. Flaws were found in some of the nation's most respected companies: Apple, Citibank, and Wells Fargo. So, it seems the bad guys are doing better than the men in the white hats.
The FBI recently issued a warning to smartphone users, highlighting two mobile malware applications: Loozfan, which steals personal information, and FinFisher, which is spyware that takes over a smartphone's functions.
It wouldn't be the first time, but a group of Chinese engineers has proposed a means by which the Internet's root could be split, enabling secondary, independent networks that could be government-controlled. The Internet's root security committee is taking such proposals seriously.
The plan for unmanned police drones to patrol traffic and other city conditions in Seattle has sparked a new set of legal concerns about privacy. Law traditionally lags technology, but we can expect now to see a new round of activity in the courts as legal definitions begin to emerge on what "next-gen privacy" will look like.
US counterterrorism expert Richard Clarke, who came to prominence with his prescient warnings before the 9/11 attacks, tells Smithsonian Magazine the US was responsible for the Stuxnet supersmart worm that attacked parts of nuclear reactors in Iran – and in the process, has given away one of the world's most sophisticated cyberweapons.
Malware designed to infect Google Android smartphones has increased dramatically, and now the government is stepping in. The National Security Agency has developed SE Android, a system that tries to close up its security holes.
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