Cyberwarfare Cyberwarfare refers to politically motivated hacking to conduct sabotage and espionage . It is a form of information warfare sometimes seen as analogous to conventional warfare , Methods of attack . Cyberwarfare consists of many different threats : Clapper divides these into cyber espionage and cyberattacks , the latter of which he defines as the top security threat to the United States . Espionage and national security breaches . Cyber espionage is the act or practice of obtaining secrets ( sensitive , proprietary or classified information ) from individuals , competitors , rivals , groups , governments and enemies also for military , political , or economic advantage using illegal exploitation methods on internet , networks , software and or computers . Classified information that is not handled securely can be intercepted and even modified , making espionage possible from the other side of the world . Specific attacks on the United States have been given codenames like Titan Rain and Moonlight Maze . General Alexander notes that the recently established Cyber Command is currently trying to determine whether such activities as commercial espionage or theft of intellectual property are criminal activities or actual " breaches of national security . " Sabotage . Computers and satellites that coordinate other activities are vulnerable components of a system and could lead to the disruption of equipment . Compromisation of military systems , such as C4ISTAR components that are responsible for orders and communications could lead to their interception or malicious replacement . Power , water , fuel , communications , and transportation infrastructure all may be vulnerable to disruption . According to Clarke , the civilian realm is also at risk , noting that the security breaches have already gone beyond stolen credit card numbers , and that potential targets can also include the electric power grid , trains , or the stock market . In mid July 2010 , security experts discovered a malicious software program called Stuxnet that had infiltrated factory computers and had spread to plants around the world . It is considered " the first attack on critical industrial infrastructure that sits at the foundation of modern economies , " notes " The New York Times " . Denial - of - service attack . In computing , a denial - of - service attack ( DoS attack ) or distributed denial - of - service attack ( DDoS attack ) is an attempt to make a machine or network resource unavailable to its intended users . Perpetrators of DoS attacks typically target sites or services hosted on high - profile web servers such as banks , credit card payment gateways , and even root nameservers . DoS attacks may not be limited to computer - based methods , as strategic physical attacks against infrastructure can be just as devastating . For example , cutting undersea communication cables may severely cripple some regions and countries with regards to their information warfare ability . Electrical power grid . The federal government of the United States admits that the electric power transmission is susceptible to cyberwarfare . The United States Department of Homeland Security works with industry to identify vulnerabilities and to help industry enhance the security of control system networks , the federal government is also working to ensure that security is built in as the next generation of " smart grid " networks are developed . In April 2009 , reports surfaced that China and Russia had infiltrated the U . S . electrical grid and left behind software programs that could be used to disrupt the system , according to current and former national security officials . The North American Electric Reliability Corporation ( NERC ) has issued a public notice that warns that the electrical grid is not adequately protected from cyber attack . China denies intruding into the U . S . electrical grid . One countermeasure would be to disconnect the power grid from the Internet and run the net with droop speed control only . Massive power outage s caused by a cyber attack could disrupt the economy , distract from a simultaneous military attack , or create a national trauma . Howard Schmidt , former Cyber - Security Coordinator of the US , commented on those possibilities : It ' s possible that hackers have gotten into administrative computer systems of utility companies , but says those aren ’ t linked to the equipment controlling the grid , at least not in developed countries . [ Schmidt ] has never heard that the grid itself has been hacked . Motivations . Military . In the U . S . , General Keith B . Alexander , first head of the recently formed USCYBERCOM , told the Senate Armed Services Committee that computer network warfare is evolving so rapidly that there is a " mismatch between our technical capabilities to conduct operations and the governing laws and policies . Cyber Command is the newest global combatant and its sole mission is cyberspace , outside the traditional battlefields of land , sea , air and space . " It will attempt to find and , when necessary , neutralize cyberattacks and to defend military computer networks . Alexander sketched out the broad battlefield envisioned for the computer warfare command , listing the kind of targets that his new headquarters could be ordered to attack , including " traditional battlefield prizes – command - and - control systems at military headquarters , air defense networks and weapons systems that require computers to operate . " One cyber warfare scenario , Cyber ShockWave , which was wargame d on the cabinet level by former administration officials , raised issues ranging from the National Guard to the power grid to the limits of statutory authority . The distributed nature of internet based attacks means that it is difficult to determine motivation and attacking party , meaning that it is unclear when a specific act should be considered an act of war . Other cyberwarfares caused from political motivations can be found worldwide . In 2008 , Russia began a cyber attack to Georgian government website , which was carried out along with military operation in South Ossetia . In 2008 , Chinese ' nationalist hackers ' attacked CNN as CNN announced on Chinese repression on Tibet . Terrorism . Eugene Kaspersky , founder of Kaspersky Lab , concludes that " cyberterrorism " is a more accurate term than " cyberwar . " He states that " with today ' s attacks , you are clueless about who did it or when they will strike again . It ' s not cyber - war , but cyberterrorism . " He also equates large - scale cyber weapons , such as the Flame Virus and NetTraveler Virus which his company discovered , to biological weapons , claiming that in an interconnected world , they have the potential to be equally destructive . Civil . Potential targets in internet sabotage include all aspects of the Internet from the backbones of the web , to the Internet Service Providers , to the varying types of data communication mediums and network equipment . This would include : web servers , enterprise information systems , client server systems , communication links , network equipment , and the desktops and laptops in businesses and homes . Electrical grid s and telecommunication systems are also deemed vulnerable , especially due to current trends in automation . Private sector . Computer hacking represents a modern threat in ongoing industrial espionage and as such is presumed to widely occur . It is typical that this type of crime is underreported . According to McAfee ' s George Kurtz , corporations around the world face millions of cyberattacks a day . " Most of these attacks don ’ t gain any media attention or lead to strong political statements by victims . " This type of crime is usually financially motivated . Non - profit research . But not all examinations with the issue of cyberwarfare are achieving profit or personal gain . There are still institutes and companies like the University of Cincinnati or the Kasperski Security Lab which are trying to increase the sensibility of this topic by researching and publishing of new security threats . Cyberwarfare by country . The Internet security company McAfee stated in their 2007 annual report that approximately 120 countries have been developing ways to use the Internet as a weapon and target financial markets , government computer systems and utilities . Cyberwarfare in the United States . Cyberwarfare in the United States is a part of the American military strategy of Proactive Cyber Defence and the use of cyberwarfare as a platform for attack . The new United States military strategy makes explicit that a cyberattack is " casus belli " just as a traditional act of war . In 2013 Cyberwarfare was , for the first time , considered a larger threat than Al Qaeda or terrorism , by many U . S . intelligence officials . Representative Mike Rogers , chairman of the U . S . House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence , for instance , said in late July , 2013 , that “ most Americans ” do not realize that the United States is currently in the middle of a “ cyber war . ” U . S . government security expert Richard A . Clarke , in his book " Cyber War " ( May 2010 ) , defines " cyberwarfare " as " actions by a nation - state to penetrate another nation ' s computers or networks for the purposes of causing damage or disruption . " The " Economist " describes cyberspace as " the fifth domain of warfare , " and William J . Lynn , U . S . Deputy Secretary of Defense , states that " as a doctrinal matter , the Pentagon has formally recognized cyberspace as a new domain in warfare . . . [ which ] has become just as critical to military operations as land , sea , air , and space . " In 2009 , President Barack Obama declared America ' s digital infrastructure to be a " strategic national asset , " and in May 2010 the Pentagon set up its new U . S . Cyber Command ( USCYBERCOM ) , headed by General Keith B . Alexander , director of the National Security Agency ( NSA ) , to defend American military networks and attack other countries ' systems . The EU has set up ENISA ( European Network and Information Security Agency ) which is headed by Prof . Udo Helmbrecht and there are now further plans to significantly expand ENISA ' s capabilities . The United Kingdom has also set up a cyber - security and " operations centre " based in Government Communications Headquarters ( GCHQ ) , the British equivalent of the NSA . In the U . S . however , Cyber Command is only set up to protect the military , whereas the government and corporate infrastructures are primarily the responsibility respectively of the Department of Homeland Security and private companies . In February 2010 , top American lawmakers warned that the " threat of a crippling attack on telecommunications and computer networks was sharply on the rise . " According to The Lipman Report , numerous key sectors of the U . S . economy along with that of other nations , are currently at risk , including cyber threats to public and private facilities , banking and finance , transportation , manufacturing , medical , education and government , all of which are now dependent on computers for daily operations . In 2009 , President Obama stated that " cyber intruders have probed our electrical grids . " " The Economist " writes that China has plans of " winning informationised wars by the mid - 21st century " . They note that other countries are likewise organizing for cyberwar , among them Russia , Israel and North Korea . Iran boasts of having the world ' s second - largest cyber - army . James Gosler , a government cybersecurity specialist , worries that the U . S . has a severe shortage of computer security specialists , estimating that there are only about 1 , 000 qualified people in the country today , but needs a force of 20 , 000 to 30 , 000 skilled experts . At the July 2010 Black Hat computer security conference , Michael Hayden , former deputy director of national intelligence , challenged thousands of attendees to help devise ways to " reshape the Internet ' s security architecture " , explaining , " You guys made the cyberworld look like the north German plain . " In January 2012 , Mike McConnell , the former director of national intelligence at the National Security Agency under President George W . Bush told the Reuters news agency that the U . S . has already launched attacks on computer networks in other countries . McConnell did not name the country that the U . S . attacked but according to other sources it may have been Iran . In June 2012 the New York Times reported that President Obama had ordered the cyber attack on Iranian nuclear enrichment facilities . In August 2010 , the U . S . for the first time warned publicly about the Chinese military ' s use of civilian computer experts in clandestine cyber attacks aimed at American companies and government agencies . The Pentagon also pointed to an alleged China - based computer spying network dubbed GhostNet that was revealed in a research report last year . The Pentagon stated : The United States Department of Defense sees the use of computers and the Internet to conduct warfare in cyberspace as a threat to national security . The United States Joint Forces Command describes some of its attributes : In February 2010 , the United States Joint Forces Command released a study which included a summary of the threats posed by the internet : On 19 June 2010 , United States Senator Joe Lieberman ( I - CT ) introduced a bill called " Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset Act of 2010 " , which he co - wrote with Senator Susan Collins ( R - ME ) and Senator Thomas Carper ( D - DE ) . If signed into law , this controversial bill , which the American media dubbed the " " Kill switch bill " " , would grant the President emergency powers over parts of the Internet . However , all three co - authors of the bill issued a statement that instead , the bill " [ narrowed ] existing broad Presidential authority to take over telecommunications networks " . The United States has used cyberattacks for tactical advantage in Afghanistan . Cyberwarfare in China . Diplomatic cables highlight US concerns that China is using access to Microsoft source code and ' harvesting the talents of its private sector ' to boost its offensive and defensive capabilities . A 2008 article in the " Culture Mandala : The Bulletin of the Centre for East - West Cultural and Economic Studies " by Jason Fritz alleges that the Chinese government from 1995 to 2008 was involved in a number of high profile cases of espionage , primarily through the use of a " decentralized network of students , business people , scientists , diplomats , and engineers from within the Chinese Diaspora " . A defector in Belgium , purportedly an agent , claimed that there were hundreds of spies in industries throughout Europe , and on his defection to Australia Chinese diplomat Chen Yonglin said there were over 1 , 000 such in that country . In 2007 , a Russian executive was sentenced to 11 years for passing information about the rocket and space technology organization to China . Targets in the United States have included ‘ aerospace engineering programs , space shuttle design , C4ISR data , high - performance computers , Nuclear weapon design , cruise missile data , semiconductors , integrated circuit design , and details of US arms sales to Taiwan ’ . While China continues to be held responsible for a string of cyber - attacks on a number of public and private institutions in the United States , India , Russia , Canada , and France , the Chinese government denies any involvement in cyber - spying campaigns . The administration maintains the position that China is not the threat but rather the victim of an increasing number of cyber - attacks . Most reports about China ' s cyber warfare capabilities have yet to be confirmed by the Chinese government . According to Fritz , China has expanded its cyber capabilities and military technology by acquiring foreign military technology . Fritz states that the Chinese government uses " new space - based surveillance and intelligence gathering systems , Anti - satellite weapon , anti - radar , infrared decoys , and false target generators " to assist in this quest , and that they support their " informationization " of the their military through " increased education of soldiers in cyber warfare ; improving the information network for military training , and has built more virtual laboratories , digital libraries and digital campuses . ’ Through this informationization , they hope to prepare their forces to engage in a different kind of warfare , against technically capable adversaries . Many recent news reports link China ' s technological capabilities to the beginning of a new ‘ cyber cold war . ’ Cyberwarfare in India . The Department of Information Technology created the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team ( CERT - In ) in 2004 to thwart cyber attacks in India . That year , there were 23 reported cyber security breaches . In 2011 , there were 13 , 301 . That year , the government created a new subdivision , the National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre ( NCIIPC ) to thwart attacks against energy , transport , banking , telecom , defence , space and other sensitive areas . The Executive Director of the Nuclear Power Corporation stated in February 2013 that his company alone was forced to block up to ten targeted attacks a day . CERT - In was left to protect less critical sectors . A high profile cyber attack on 12 July 2012 breached the email accounts of about 12 , 000 people , including those of officials from the Ministry of External Affairs , Ministry of Home Affairs , Defence Research and Development Organisation ( DRDO ) , and the Indo - Tibetan Border Police ( ITBP ) . A government - private sector plan being overseen by National Security Advisor ( NSA ) Shivshankar Menon began in October 2012 , and intends to beef up India ' s cyber security capabilities in the light of a group of experts findings that India faces a 4 . 7 - lakh shortfall of such experts despite the country ' s reputation of being an IT and software powerhouse . In February 2013 , Information Technology Secretary J . Satyanarayana stated that the NCIIPC was finalizing policies related to national cyber security that would focus on domestic security solutions , reducing exposure through foreign technology . Other steps include the isolation of various security agencies to ensure that a synchronised attack could not succeed on all fronts and the planned appointment of a National Cyber Security Coordinator . As of that month , there had been no significant economic or physical damage to India related to cyber attacks . Cyberwarfare in Iran . In June 2010 , Iran was the victim of a cyber attack when its nuclear facility in Natanz was infiltrated by the cyber - worm ‘ Stuxnet ’ . Reportedly a combined effort by the United States and Israel , Stuxnet destroyed perhaps over 1000 nuclear centrifuges and , according to a " Business Insider " article , " [ set ] Tehran ' s atomic programme back by at least two years . " The worm spread beyond the plant to allegedly infect over 60 , 000 computers , but the government of Iran indicates it caused no significant damage . Iran crowdsourced solutions to the worm and is purportedly now better positioned in terms of cyber warfare technology . No government has claimed responsibility for the worm . The Iranian government has been accused by western analysts of its own cyber - attacks against the United States , Israel and Gulf Arabs , but deny this , including specific allegations of 2012 involvement in hacking into American banks . The conflict between Iran and the United States as been called " history ’ s first known cyber - war " by Michael Joseph Gross mid - 2013 . Cyberwarfare in the UK . MI6 reportedly infiltrated an Al Qaeda website and replaced the recipe for a pipe bomb with the recipe for making cupcakes . Cyberwarfare in South Korea . With ongoing tensions on the Korean Peninsula , South Korea ' s defense ministry stated that South Korea was going to improve cyber - defense strategies in hopes of preparing itself from possible cyber attacks . In March 2013 , South Korea ' s major banks – Shinhan Bank , Woori Bank and NongHyup Bank – as well as many broadcasting stations – KBS , YTN and MBC – were hacked and more than 30 , 000 computers were affected ; it is one of the biggest attacks South Korea has faced in years . Although it remains uncertain as to who was involved in this incident , there has been immediate assertions that North Korea is connected , as it threatened to attack South Korea ' s government institutions , major national banks and traditional newspapers numerous times – in reaction to the sanctions it received from nuclear testing and to the continuation of Foal Eagle , South Korea ' s annual joint military exercise with the United States . North Korea ' s cyber warfare capabilities raise the alarm for South Korea , as North Korea is increasing its manpower through military academies specializing in hacking . Current figures state that South Korea only has 400 units of specialized personnel , while North Korea has more than 3 , 000 highly trained hackers ; this portrays a huge gap in cyber warfare capabilities and sends a message to South Korea that it has to step up and strengthen its Cyber Warfare Command forces . Therefore , in order to be prepared from future attacks , South Korea and the United States will discuss further about deterrence plans at the Security Consultative Meeting ( SCM ) . At SCM , they plan on developing strategies that focuses on accelerating the deployment of ballistic missiles as well as fostering its defense shield program , known as the Korean Air and Missile Defense . Cyberwarfare in Germany . In 2013 , Germany revealed the existence of their 60 - person Computer Network Operation unit . The German intelligence agency , BND , announced it was seeking to hire 130 " hackers " for a new " cyber defence station " unit . In March 2013 , BND president Gerhard Schindler announced that his agency had observed up to five attacks a day on government authorities , thought mainly to originate in China . He confirmed the attackers had so far only accessed data and expressed concern that the stolen information could be used as the basis of future sabotage attacks against arms manufacturers , telecommunications companies and government and military agencies . Shortly after Edward Snowden leaked details of the U . S . National Security Agency ' s cyber surveillance system , German Interior Minister Hans - Peter Friedrich announced that the BND would be given an additional budget of 100 million Euros to increase their cyber surveillance capability from 5 % of total internet traffic in Germany to 20 % of total traffic , the maximum amount allowed by German law . Cyber counterintelligence . Cyber counter - intelligence are measures to identify , penetrate , or neutralize foreign operations that use cyber means as the primary tradecraft methodology , as well as foreign intelligence service collection efforts that use traditional methods to gauge cyber capabilities and intentions . One of the hardest issues in cyber counterintelligence is the problem of " Attribution " . Unlike conventional warfare , figuring out who is behind an attack can be very difficult . However Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has claimed that the United States has the capability to trace attacks back to their sources and hold the attackers " accountable " . Controversy over terms . There is debate on whether the term " cyberwarfare " is accurate . In October 2011 , for instance , the " Journal of Strategic Studies " , a leading journal in that field , published an article by Thomas Rid , " Cyber War Will Not Take Place . " An act of cyber war would have to be potentially lethal , instrumental , and political . Then not one single cyber offense on record constitutes an act of war on its own . Instead , all politically motivated cyber attacks , Rid argued , are merely sophisticated versions of three activities that are as old as warfare itself : sabotage , espionage , and subversion . Howard Schmidt , an American cybersecurity expert , argued in March 2010 that " there is no cyberwar . . . I think that is a terrible metaphor and I think that is a terrible concept . There are no winners in that environment . " Other experts , however , believe that this type of activity already constitutes a war . The warfare analogy is often seen intended to motivate a militaristic response when that is not necessarily appropriate . Ron Deibert , of Canada ' s Citizen Lab , has warned of a " militarization of cyberspace . " The European cybersecurity expert Sandro Gaycken argued for a middle position . He considers cyberwar from a legal perspective an unlikely scenario , due to the reasons lined out by Rid ( and , before him , Sommer ) , but the situation looks different from a strategic point of view . States have to consider military - led cyber operations an attractive activity , within and without war , as they offer a large variety of cheap and risk - free options to weaken other countries and strengthen their own positions . Considered from a long - term , geostrategic perspective , cyber offensive operations can cripple whole economies , change political views , agitate conflicts within or among states , reduce their military efficiency and equalize the capacities of high - tech nations to that of low - tech nations , and use access to their critical infrastructures to blackmail them . Efforts at prohibition . The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation ( members include China and Russia ) defines cyberwar to include dissemination of information " harmful to the spiritual , moral and cultural spheres of other states " . In September 2011 , these countries proposed to the UN Secretary General a document called " International code of conduct for information security " . The approach was not endorsed by western countries as it entailed too many hints on political censorship of the internet . In contrast , the United States ' approach focuses on physical and economic damage and injury , putting political concerns under freedom of speech . This difference of opinion has led to reluctance in the West to pursue global cyber arms control agreements . However , American General Keith B . Alexander did endorse talks with Russia over a proposal to limit military attacks in cyberspace . In June 2013 , Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin agreed to install a secure " Cyberwar - Hotline " providing " a direct secure voice communications line between the US cybersecurity coordinator and the Russian deputy secretary of the security council , should there be a need to directly manage a crisis situation arising from an ICT security incident . " ( White House quote ) A Ukrainian professor of International Law , Alexander Merezhko , has developed a project called the International Convention on Prohibition of Cyberwar in Internet . According to this project , cyberwar is defined as the use of Internet and related technological means by one state against political , economic , technological and information sovereignty and independence of any other state . Professor Merezhko ' s project suggests that the Internet ought to remain free from warfare tactics and be treated as an international landmark . He states that the Internet ( cyberspace ) is a " common heritage of mankind . " Hacktivism is a form of cyber warfare that is strictly politically motivated . Examples include Web site defacements , URL redirection , denial - of - service attacks , information theft and dumping , web site parodies , typosquatting , and virtual sabotage . Denning explains in her book The ethics of cyber conflict . The Handbook of Information and Computer Ethics ( 2008 ) how hacktivism has spurred the desire for proper rights and laws in cyberspace .