http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/web2.0story.asp?id=ARTEN20070010034 By Manoj Kewalramani 26.4.2007 While the James Bond franchise has over the years provided an interesting peek at how the technological and/or information revolution is changing global politics and warfare, the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan drive home that fact like never before. The changes in information and communication technology with the advent of cyberspace were all too well known before the war on terror even officially began. However, ever since September 11, 2001, the visible impact of these changes on the rules of engagement in international affairs has been nothing less than shocking and awe-inspiring. The most fundamental shift that has occurred has been the overhaul that the conventional concept of power - economic, military, territorial and political - is undergoing. Power, in fact, as many analysts tend to believe is not only being re-characterized but also redistributed in a way that is deconstructing the international structure and eroding the primacy of nation-states in global affairs. The ease of access and control over means of communication and information dissemination have created a plug in, log on generation, whereby diverse actors - individuals and groups - can reshape opinions and values in a way that previously was the monopoly of nation-states. Moreover, while the growing dependence of our political, financial, military and societal structures and systems on technology permits greater efficiency in governance, it also provides opportunities for those with malicious intent to seize on vulnerabilities. In fact, a 2005 US PITAC report explicitly states that the American IT infrastructure is extremely vulnerable to a terrorist or criminal attack. Cyberspace is thus the newest frontier in the wars waged by this and future generations, wherein critical information and intelligence gathering, inflicting tangible damage to and/or crippling systems and operations and influencing public opinion will be key to success. Combat strategies In recent times, Web-defacement, whereby the contents of a website are accessed, altered and/or deleted, and Hactivism, politically motivated attacks on publicly accessible webpages or email servers, along with viruses have probably been the most common forms of cyberattacks. For instance, during the NATO campaign in the erstwhile Yugoslavia, Russian and other individuals backing the Serbs attacked the websites of NATO nations by attempting hacking and sending virus-infected mails to undermine the military effort. Another prominent example is the cyberwar between pro-Indian and pro-Pakistani hackers. In 2003, it was widely reported that pro-Pakistani hackers - the most active of which was a group name G-Force - had hacked and defaced nearly 500 Indian sites, including news websites and those belonging to government bodies. In response, a group of pro-Indian hackers had launched a "cyber revenge" by spreading the Yaha worm aimed Distributed Denial of Service attacks (DDoS). However, each of these cases is often understood as individuals or groups acting of their own accord. The issue of governmental sanction and involvement officially almost always remains murky; despite this, it is noted that such cyberattacks tend to rise in frequency in times of heightenend political tensions between the parties involved. For instance, the second Palestinian intifada also took shape in the form of what reports defined as the "Inter-fada," as pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinan hackers hit out at each other's commercial, government and personal websites and exchanged fiery salvos in chatrooms. While such activities may tantamount to vandalism, undermining the enemy's confidence and even denying access to effective information and services, it is often argued that the tangible threat posed by them is rather limited. Nevertheless, the November 2004 case of pro-Chinese hackers called Titan Rain stealing US military secrets, including aviation specifications and flight-planning software, did raise alarms. Yet, the most that this implies is espionage oneupsmanship and doesn't essentally justify the horrorific imagery that the term "cyberattack" is meant to conjure up. Terrorism in the digital age The real threat of the digital age, analysts argue, is posed by the use of cyberspace by terrorist organisations. To begin with, as a 2004 USIP report argues, there have been no real instances of cyberterrorism. However, while this conclusion may be comforting on the surface, it masks the actual and potential utility of cyberspace for terrorist organisations. Cyberspace is littered with innumerable websites of terror organizations and its supporters. The Internet has, in fact, enabled the dangerous structural transformation of terrorist groups from a vertical hierarchy to disperse and decentralized sub-groups or individuals that are inter-connected and coordinating with each other. Among the primary aims of terror groups using the Internet is propaganda and psychological warfare, for instance, the messages of Osama bin Laden and other Al-Qaida leaders being posted on the Internet and terror groups attempting to demoralize enemy societies by posting images and videos of executions and through threats of impending attacks. Besides creating an atmosphere of fear, another interesting aspect of this propaganda war in cyberspace is the attempts by terror groups to influence public opinion by de-legitimizing the enemy and portraying their struggle as one against oppression. Also, a large number of such groups tend to use the online space for critical activities such as intelligence gathering, fundraising, recruiting, planning attacks, communicating with dormant cells, training and sharing information on planning strategies, bomb-making, indoctrination etc. In fact, the Internet and the anonymity and privacy it offers was instrumental in planning and executing the September 11, 2001, attacks, and groups like al-Qaida and Hezbollah have hailed the utility of encrypted messages in assisting them in their cause. Beyond this lies the alarming threat of compound attacks, i.e., cyberattacks that supplement a physical attack, either by states or by terror groups. For instance, imagine a large-scale or even an isolated physical attack, which is then backed by a cyberattack that cripples the critical infrastructure such as transportation, water or even emergency services. Battling cyberterror Examined from this perspective, the influence and impact of cyberterrorism cannot be ignored and governments and international institutions need to develop viable defensive and offensive mechanisms to deal with this threat. Effective cyber security requires that governments identify areas of critical significance and devote funding and other resources for research purposes aimed at fortifying their systems against any attack. Moreover, considering that in most countries a number of services and computer networks are under private management, effective public-private partnership is a must. Also, intelligence gathering, monitoring of cyberspace and the activities of terror groups and formulating effective legal instruments and multilateral agreements to regulate cyberspace are key to any offensive strategy. But, in doing so, it is imperative that governments consistently ensure that the democratic benefits that the Internet revolution has offered are not undermined. Primacy of the state In the final analysis, however, the real challenge that the information revolution poses to international affairs is the manner in which it is impacting the power and role of the state. While the change that was initiated by the advent of the Internet has required for states to adapt, the Westphalian structure seems more than capable to adjust and flourish. In fact, as highlighted in a number of examples above, states have identified the changing conceptualization of power and begun to harness the abilities of the empowered non-state actors to further their interests. In effect, information and technology power is being used to further strengthen the conventional might of the state; clearly cyberpolitik is merely a novel tool in the very, very old and enduring game of realpolitik. __________________________ Subscribe to InfoSec News http://www.infosecnews.org
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