. Military Space News .
CYBER WARS
Outside View: Worms of mass destruction

disclaimer: image is for illustration purposes only
by Harlan Ullman
Washington (UPI) Oct 13, 2010
The alarms are deafening but who is listening? U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense William Lynn wrote a remarkable piece in Foreign Affairs warning of the threats and dangers posed by cyberattacks. Shortly thereafter, as if on cue, the Stuxtnet worm struck Iran. Its target was controllers made by Siemens that Iran is using in its nuclear systems causing them to fail and hence potentially crippling the entire program.

And what is happening in the aftermath? Despite the creation of a U.S. Department of Defense cyber command and intense rhetoric, the dangers of WMD -- worms of mass destruction -- haven't led yet to a response remotely equivalent to the infamous Y2K crisis in which software and computers unprogrammed to turnover from 1999 to 2000 would crash the system. That crash never happened. That isn't true for this form of WMD.

YouTube featured a 2 1/2-minute clip showing how Stuxtnet could be used to create real physical damage by forcing an electronic controller to overpressure a balloon, exploding it. Clearly, physical, as well as computer and software, damage can result from a Stuxtnet attack.

In a sense, cyberattacks might be considered the inverse of the neutron bomb. In the Carter years, the United States had designed a weapon that would kill humans by extreme radiation while doing minimal damage to buildings, cities and infrastructure. Critics carped that the neutron bomb would kill babies but not destroy their cribs. It was assumed that cyberattacks would cripple infrastructure doing little physical damage. That is an incorrect proposition.

The consequences of cyberattacks against, say, the electrical grid, Global Positioning System, banking and credit card systems and most chip-based electronics are potentially catastrophic. Imagine doing without electricity or without computers and Internet for an extended period. The actual effects would be punishing. To get a better sense of what killer worms can do, here are two real-life examples.

Suppose, simultaneously, millions of savings and checking accounts were hacked and direct payments and transfers changed or canceled without anyone's knowledge. Or imagine if credit card billings were stopped or altered and you received a charge or credit for $1 million. Entire economies or certainly large sectors could be taken down and ruined possibly permanently. And fixing the damage to individuals would be expensive, take a great deal of time and in the interim do much damage.

The possibilities are self-evident. One other critical dilemma regarding cyberattacks is that we are still in the philosophical and strategic infancy stages akin to July 1945 after the first nuclear weapons were detonated and long before a theory and practice of deterrence were developed.

One model or analogy for cyber-thinking is money. Money and cyber are both ubiquitous and are the basis for conducting virtually all commerce outside bartering economies. Understanding the use, governance and threats to the monetary and financial systems applies to cyber and both national and international systems for its governance, regulation and protection.

Over time, banking, exchange rates, credit and debt mechanisms and rules of the game evolved. That evolution continues post-meltdown of financial markets. Indeed the financial meltdown and economic crisis are suggestive of what WMD could do to our lives. Along with cyber-thugs and states, let alone hacking for sport, bank robbers, counterfeiters, conmen and even investment bankers have gone after the money supply and financial systems, some legally, others not.

Of course, the 10-year-old computer genius who decides to disrupt or hack into global or national systems is another menace. It would indeed be interesting if the Stuxtnet inventors turned out to be in their early teens or even single digits in age.

Creating the equivalent of a nuclear deterrent structure or financial governance system is sorely needed for cyber. Many of the same challenges apply. For example, when does a cyberattack constitute an act of war? The cyber-sortie into Estonia from sources inside Russia wasn't seen as an act of war. In financial markets, George Soros, famous for shorting the pound, cost the United Kingdom billions. If a criminal organization had been responsible for such losses using cyber, let alone al-Qaida, would that constitute the equivalent of an armed attack?

A serious and ongoing national and international effort to establish an intellectual framework including rules of the road and conventions for dealing with cyber is needed now, not later. Hitler's onslaught into Europe in 1939, the attack on Pearl Harbor and of course September 11th caught the West off guard and unprepared. The chances of a major cyberattack by thugs, states or misguided youth are unity. The only question is how much damage will occur.

Action is needed immediately. But urgency seems AWOL. This new WMD threat is here. But will anyone act in time?

(Harlan Ullman is chairman of the Killowen Group, which advises leaders of government and business, and senior adviser at Washington's Atlantic Council.)

(United Press International's "Outside View" commentaries are written by outside contributors who specialize in a variety of important issues. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of United Press International. In the interests of creating an open forum, original submissions are invited.)



Share This Article With Planet Earth
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit
YahooMyWebYahooMyWeb GoogleGoogle FacebookFacebook



Related Links
Cyberwar - Internet Security News - Systems and Policy Issues



Memory Foam Mattress Review
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News


CYBER WARS
Microsoft aims barrage of fixes at Stuxnet and more
San Francisco (AFP) Oct 12, 2010
Microsoft on Tuesday released a record high number of software patches aimed at countering computer threats including a Stuxnet "worm" attacking industrial networks. The 49 fixes released by Microsoft were ranked in importance from "critical" to "moderate" and addressed vulnerabilities in an array of Microsoft programs used in personal computers. "Users should apply these patches ASAP," ... read more







CYBER WARS
Confidence Of BMD System For US Homeland Lacking

Raytheon To Demo S-Band Radar Design For Navy

LockMart Awarded Radar Contract To Defend Against Anti-Ship And Ballistic Missile Threats

MEADS Life Cycle Costs Significantly Lower Than Fielded Systems

CYBER WARS
Russian image tarnished over Iran missile deal: MP

Russia to refund Iran over missile deal: arms export chief

Russia to refund Iran over missile deal: arms export chief

India's Prithvi-II missile fails to launch

CYBER WARS
Boeing To Offer A160T Hummingbird In Response To NAVAIR RFP

US drone kills seven militants in NW Pakistan: officials

US drone kills four in Pakistan's northwest: officials

US drone kills five in northwest Pakistan: officials

CYBER WARS
Indian army in communication system tender

Military Terrestrial Satcom Market To Grow Slightly

MEADS Demonstrates Interoperability With NATO

Space security surveillance gets new boost

CYBER WARS
iRobot Announces Order From US Army

Raytheon Contracted For Airborne Mine Neutralization System

Remington upgrades M24 sniper rifle

Emirates eye Oshkosh combat vehicles

CYBER WARS
Israeli Ministry Of Defense Selects F-35 For Its Next-Gen Fighter

Vietnam holds largest military display in years

India set to buy 300 aircraft from Russia

NATO to deliberate 21st century fighting machine

CYBER WARS
US, China clash over Taiwan as defence talks resume

After setbacks, US tries to forge military ties with China

US, Asian defence ministers to meet amid China tensions

NATO chief in Turkey to discuss NATO-EU ties

CYBER WARS
Maritime Laser System Shows Higher Lethality At Longer Ranges

Northrop Grumman To Increase Efficiency For Next-Gen Military Laser Technology

Boeing Receives Task Order For Design Of Free Electron Laser Lab Demonstrator

Lasers could protect helicopters from harm


The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2010 - SpaceDaily. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement