An increasing number of attacks carried out over the internet
have explicitly political goals, according to a report by security
firm McAfee.
The US, Russia, France, Israel and China are armed with
cyberweapons, the report said, with the UK, Germany and North Korea
preparing for a future in which conflict is partly conducted
through the internet.
Many nations are arming to defend themselves in a
cyber war and readying forces to conduct their own attacks, the
2009 Virtual Criminology Report said.
The UK government recently announced plans to create a central
Office of Cyber Security (OCS) to deal with the rising level of
online attacks.
"The OCS will have a role in coordinating offensive capabilities
and, in extreme cases, would have the ability to mount a cyber
attack in response to intrusions on UK networks," the report
said.
A cyberattack against government networks and critical
infrastructures can result in physical damage and death, the report
said.
"Today the weapons are not nuclear, but virtual, and everyone
must adapt to these threats," said Dave DeWalt, chief executive at
McAfee.
In most developed countries, critical infrastructure is
connected to the internet and lacks proper security functions,
leaving these installations vulnerable, the report said.
Critical infrastructure is privately owned in many countries,
which the report said makes it a huge target for cyberwarfare.
The report, based on contributions by more than 20 international
relations experts, calls for a public discussion on
cyberwarfare.
Without insight into the government's cyberdefence strategy, the
private sector is not able to be proactive and take proper
precaution, the report said.
Cyber attacks will increasingly become a component of war in the
next 20 to 30 years, according to report contributor William
Crowell, a former deputy director of the US National Security
Agency.
"What I can't foresee is whether networks will be so pervasive
and unprotected that cyber war will stand alone," he said.