Cybersecurity as a Crosscutting Issue
Cybersecurity is a relatively new concept in the spectrum of world affairs, only entering the fold near the end of the 20th century. Allegedly, the first uses of cybersecurity were by the CIA using monitoring equipment in the 1980’s during the Cold War as a means to keep an eye on the developments of the Soviet Union. Ever since, cybersecurity has advanced from small-scale surveillance into an entirely separate theatre of warfare from conventional methods of battle. As opposed to the primitive software utilized by the first hackers, the effect of a modern cyberattack can be compared to that of a hurricane or an earthquake. The importance of cybersecurity has taken center stage in world affairs as state-funded cyberattacks become more and more common. People used to believe that governments, credit unions, and political figures were immune to these attacks. However, as the hackers have become more advanced, they are now able to attack these targets. This has garnered the attention of many state actors who would hope to infiltrate the infrastructures of their enemies. The ease at which countries can deal a devastating blow to an enemy state’s infrastructure without having to declare war or send soldiers to cross borders has left much of the world at risk for these sorts of attacks, especially those in less developed nations.
As the world becomes more and more modernized in the 21st century, there have been an increasing number of devices being connected to the internet. Anyone with a computer and an internet connection can vandalize and steal anything from sensitive government documents to a person’s identity. Machines and devices that aren’t internet compatible are becoming less common, especially in developed countries. The ability to access the massive database that is the world of the internet has become essential to keep up with the endless technological advancements. While these innovations have helped to increase the capabilities of people and their efficiency by streamlining access to information, they have also left that information increasingly vulnerable to cyber-attacks.
With all these devices being developed with the ability to access the internet, it offers talented hackers many ways in to take control of the device. Furthermore, with the increased outlets of access for the hackers to attack, it makes it more difficult for cybersecurity to keep out viruses. While menial objects like smart refrigerators or smart coffee pots would seem harmless, things like smart cars can be hacked into and controlled, leaving the driver helpless. A hacker could also access a huge database of sensitive information from important figures or world leaders quite easily. In addition, with all of the information from the large number of devices connected to the internet flooding the web, it can be next to impossible to trace back something as small as a single, isolated hack. These devices are also not limited by national borders. They are everywhere in the world, especially in developed countries with infrastructure built almost entirely connected to the internet. This can give countries the opportunity to attack their rival’s infrastructure anonymously and without the use of military force and deal significant damage.
Over the late 20th and early 21st century, there have been several instances of cyber-attacks against countries that have been very effective. One example of a cyber-attack between two developed states was the Stuxnet worm. Stuxnet was a virus that infected Iranian nuclear facilities and caused the nuclear centrifuges to go into meltdown while the control system displays would read as though everything were normal. The creators of the Stuxnet worm and the orchestrators behind the attack on the Iranian nuclear facilities have never officially claimed responsibility for the attack. However, only hackers backed by considerable, likely state-sourced funding could have been able to create programs on the scale of something as complex as Stuxnet. This leads experts to believe that this was a targeted attack by a governmental agency with political motivations. Despite this, there is still a large amount of speculation into who the culprits might be in this cyberattack. A large number of point the finger at a coalition between the United States and Israel. Both the US and Israel would feel greatly threatened by an Iranian nuclear presence in the Middle East. This would be enough to motivate the countries to take action against Iran. These speculations were validated when “NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden confirmed that the Stuxnet malware used to attack Iranian nuclear facilities was created as part of a joint operation between the Israelis and the NSA's Foreign Affairs Directorate (FAD).” Based on information from Snowden, it was discovered that “the Stuxnet code, which has been deployed since 2005, is thought to be the first malware aimed specifically at damaging specific physical infrastructure. It was inserted into the computer networks of the Iranian nuclear fuel factory in Natanz shortly after it opened” (Thomson).
Another example of these attacks were the series of “WannaCry” attacks. During the summer of 2017, “a series of cyberattacks using the WannaCry ransomware (a type of computer virus that encrypts a user’s data and only releases it when a ransom has been paid) affected hundreds of thousands of computers across the globe.” These attacks were coordinated efforts to inflict maximum damage on a target country without disclosing their identities. The financial toll taken by the victims was substantial, with the “total cost of the WannaCry attacks…was estimated to exceed $1 billion” (Chernenko). Many western countries who were targeted by the virus, like the United States, pointed the blame at the North Korean government. Homeland Security adviser Tom Bossert criticized North Korea, addressing how their “malicious software hit computers in the U.K.'s health-care sector particularly hard, compromising systems that perform critical work. These disruptions put lives at risk” (Chappell). However, not long after, before the full realization of the effects of “WannaCry” set in, came “a destructive wiper-malware attack (a type of cyberattack that wipes computers outright, destroying records from the targeted systems without collecting a ransom) known as Not Petya/Petya” (Chernenko). The timing of the attack, coming so soon after the “WannaCry” virus, allowed it to be very effective and it “…quickly spread worldwide, causing billions of dollars in damage across Europe, Asia, and the Americas” (Page). Again, many western countries suspected another state of committing this cybercrime. However, this time it was believed that the Russians were responsible. The official statement released from the White House reads that "In June 2017, the Russian military launched the most destructive and costly cyber-attack in history” (Page).
While it is still an issue that is not quite considered a frontline issue, cybersecurity has become an ever-evolving topic that is rapidly becoming more prominent in the minds of world leaders. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders described “Petya/NotPetya” as “a reckless and indiscriminate cyber-attack” and claimed that “…it will be met with international consequences” (Page). By saying this, Sanders represent that the White House is acknowledging the virus as a war crime, which would have a large impact on international affairs. Much more international attention has been invested into cybercrime with all the money that is being stolen, estimates say “close to $600 billion, nearly one percent of global GDP, is lost to cybercrime each year” (Lewis) according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). In response to the rise in cyber-attacks, many countries have developed cyber defense sectors. These improvements to cybersecurity play into the concept of realism by not only protecting the physical borders of the country, but their internet borders as well. However, many countries are also developing offensive cyber units to target other countries in this new era of warfare. These new units will set the stage for the future of cyberwarfare and it will become crucial for countries to develop their units to stay ahead of their opponents. They will continue to grow their branches to compete with one another in a way that could be comparable to the arms race that took place during the Cold War. These attacks could be considered safer than conventional warfare. It does sound more humane to simply disable a government headquarters over the internet than to strike it with bombs and tanks. This help to avoid collateral damage and innocent people are spared. However, the issue with the cyberattack is that it could also cause collateral damage, but in a different way. One legal conflict standing in the way is the “Laws of Armed Conflict: the principle of distinction, which requires that we never target non-combatants and spare them from the effects of an attack as much as possible” (Lin). For example, while attacking the water supply of a government headquarters, the hackers could go too far and knock out an entire city’s access to water. This could have dire consequences for a large number of innocent civilians and would be classified as a war crime because it broke the Laws of Armed Conflict. This could lead to declarations of war and would still end in bloodshed.
As cybersecurity becomes an increasingly important issue, it is important for countries to stay up to date on world events, now more than ever. There are still many nations, especially those with under-developed governments, that are extremely vulnerable to hacking and could become victims in this new age of warfare. The international community has been forced to take notice of what is taking place in the cyber world. Global cooperation is one of the only options to prevent large-scale cyberwar. A cyber-world war would be devastating to the future of world relations, cripple the generations of people to follow, and set the world back in terms of peacemaking. Countries must accept the new world or perish at the hands of the skilled hackers from the more developed countries. Now that government officials, credit unions, and political elites are vulnerable to attacks, it is crucial for all people to be wary of the dangers of cyberwar.