The possibility of global cyberwarfare has moved from fiction to reality, according to a new report from McAfee.
The report found that politically motivated cyberattacks have increased and five countries, including the United States, Russia, France, Israel and China, are now armed with cyberweapons.
“McAfee began to warn of the global cyberarms race more than two years ago, but now we’re seeing increasing evidence that it’s become real,” said Dave DeWalt, president and CEO.
“Now several nations around the world are actively engaged in cyberwar-like preparations and attacks. Today, the weapons are not nuclear, but virtual, and everyone must adapt to these threats.”
Attackers are building both cyberdefenses and cyberoffenses, to target infrastructure such as power grids, transportation, telecommunication, finance and water supplies, because damage can be done quickly and with little effort. In most developed countries, critical infrastructure is connected to the Internet and lacks proper security, leaving them open to attacks.
Critical infrastructure is privately-owned in many developed countries, making it a huge target for cyberwarfare. The private sector relies heavily on the government to prevent cyberattacks. If cyberwarfare breaks out, governments, corporations and private citizens may get caught in the crossfire. Without insight into the government’s cyberdefense strategy, the private sector is not able to be proactive and take proper precautions.
“Over the next 20 to 30 years, cyberattacks will increasingly become a component of war,” said William Crowell, a former Deputy Director of the U.S. National Security Agency.
“What I can’t foresee is whether networks will be so pervasive and unprotected that cyber war operations will stand alone.”
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