The New World of Cyberwarfare

Risk Group Founder,  Jayshree Pandya Ph.D discusses “The New World of Cyberwarfare” with Richard Stiennon , “Author: Surviving Cyberwar  and There Will Be Cyberwar: How the Move to NCW Has Set the Stage for Cyberwar” on Risk Roundup.   Introduction There is a vicious power struggle roaring in the Cyberspace. This new cyber battleground is full of unknowns, including major players, minor players, rules of war and reasons for war. In this cyber- battlefields, the war casualties have been quietly piling up. It seems every nation: its government, industries, organizations and academia (NGIOA) has been hit and is at a risk of being hit. No one is being spared, including common citizens. This cyber battleground brings each NGIOA, the good, the bad and the unknown. With the world getting immersed in rapid advances in artificial intelligence, information, communication and cyberspace technology, the activities in cyberspace have now become inseparable from activities in geospace and space. These blurring boundaries of cyberspace with geospace and space, has pushed each nation to a significant decision point today, as they must continue to defend their current systems and networks in the geospace and space, while simultaneously struggle, to get out in front of their challengers and competitors in the cyberspace. As computer code, connected computers and internet fundamentally transforms warfare, the new reality of cyberwarfare is causing panic across nations. So the question is how can any nation contain the threats posed by artificial intelligence, computer code, connected computers, information and communication technology and internet? Nations Are Already in The Midst of a Vicious Cyber Arms Race When highly sophisticated, human and non-human intelligence based stealthy computer programs can take over and even destroy the control systems that regulate everything from food factories to gas pipelines, power plants, airlines and chemical facilities, the hard proof that cyber arms race is already here and the current cyber infrastructure is providing wide open foundation for the cyber arms race is loud and clear.  The cyber-arms race has already begun. So the question is where would cyberwarfare end? Are Nations Prepared for Cyberwarfare? Nations are facing a chilling new reality of cyberwarfare in which no nation: its government, industries, organizations, academia or individual (NGIOA-I) is safe from cyber- attack. —even individuals. Are any nations: its government, industries, organizations, academia or individuals prepared for cyber-warfare? Probably not! The Silo Approach to Cyber Warfare and Security Across nations: the governments, industries, organizations and academia work in silo. Even if any or all the components of a nation are targeted or attacked, the intelligence about what or how much damage has been done is never clear or communicated. In the same manner, even if any component of a nation is secured, the rest of the nation is not secured and thereby making everyone vulnerable to security. Moreover, we may still not have effective technologies and tools that will allow any entity within any component of an NGIOA to know that they are under attack or they have been attacked. Nor do we have effective tools that can accurately estimate the economic impact of the cyber-attacks. Most nations or entities within a NGIOA would not even know that they were under attack, what they lost or what was compromised or what damage has been done to their economy. This is a critical risk. Is Penetration Testing a Revolutionary Model for Espionage? There is a growing concern that the tools that are used for ethically attacking networks and gathering information in penetration tests on entities requests—als...