The Future of Cyber War infographic discusses the definition of cyber war and what the future looks like on the Cyber front!
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Next-Gen Cyberwar
In 2022, just hours before Russian troops invaded, Ukraine was hit by new malware designed to wipe data.
Is Cyber War Already Here?
- In the first 10 weeks of 2022, over 150 cyberattacks were launched against Ukraine
- In January 2022, hackers disabled more than 70 government websites in Ukraine
- Microsoft found malware in Ukraine government systems that could be triggered remotely
- In February 2022, the FBI asked US companies to alert them to “any increased [cyber]activity against Ukraine or US critical infrastructure”
- The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued a “shields up” alert — recommending all organizations adopt a heightened cybersecurity posture
- In March 2022, there were more than 6 billion potential cyberattacks worldwide in a single 24-hour period
- Most Targeted Countries
- 61% targeted Russia
- 23% targeted Ukraine
- 6% targeted the US
- Most Targeted Countries
[Call Out: For Russia, the war with Ukraine is likely serving as a live testing ground for its next generation of cyber weapons]
- Why Use Ukraine As A Testing Ground?
- Ukraine’s tech infrastructure is similar to Western Europe and North America
- But, there are limited resources for counter-attacks
- Cyber attacks have grown over time
- In 2015, suspected Russian hackers knocked out electricity for 230,000 customers in western Ukraine
- In 2016, a similar attack targeted Ukraine government agencies and financial establishments
- In 2017, “NotPetya” attack on Ukraine, wiped computers belonging to the financial, business, and power grid sectors
- In 2022, the US and the EU have provided support to bolster cyber defenses in Ukraine – but cyberattacks are unlikely to stay within its borders
- Another approach to counter attacks has pro-Ukraine hackers targeting websites in Russia to create panic and chaos, rather than targeting critical infrastructure
- Typically scan wide swaths of the internet for vulnerable devices
- Malware automatically attacks targets where its likely to succeed
- These types of attacks are more likely to bring collateral damage across borders
- Another approach to counter attacks has pro-Ukraine hackers targeting websites in Russia to create panic and chaos, rather than targeting critical infrastructure
- Ukraine’s tech infrastructure is similar to Western Europe and North America
[Call Out: 50% of US tech execs say state-sponsored cyber warfare is their biggest threat
— 32% of US tech execs say defining a national cybersecurity protocol should be a top priority]
What Will Cyber War Look Like?
- The connections between cyber and physical assets are growing, bringing greater risk to both network and physical infrastructure security
- In 2021, data breaches and cybersecurity attacks on average cost companies $4.24 million per breach — 10% more than previous year
- The pandemic has only heightened the potential for damage from cyberthreats
- More information has moved to the cloud
- More services are provided digitally
- More people are working remotely, through less-secure home networks and personal devices
- Cyber Attack vs Cyber War
- To date, most cyberattacks have been less devastating – likely because they were testing new cyberweapons
- Cyberattacks have the potential to
- Shut down electrical grids
- Destroy technology, including: steel mills, gas pipelines, centrifuges
- Explode or self-destruct power infrastructure
- An aggressive attack could knock down many targets as one time, magnifying the impact
- Cyberattacks have the potential to
- Cyber war could have impact on the scale of a natural disaster
- For example, knocking out a power grid could create similar conditions to the 2021 Texas freeze
- Widespread damage due to frozen and burst pipes
- Loss of electricity, food storage, and water access
- Massive disruption to everyday activities
- Over 200 deaths
- For example, knocking out a power grid could create similar conditions to the 2021 Texas freeze
- To date, most cyberattacks have been less devastating – likely because they were testing new cyberweapons
[Call Out: 93% of Americans fear cyberwar against the US — Only 19% of Americans are totally confident the government can protect citizens against cyber warfare]
Preparing For Cyber War
- 70% of people agree the US is ranked most secure for cyberware attacks
- Most CyberSecure Countries
- US: 70%
- Japan: 67%
- China: 63%
- Germany: 55%
- UK: 53%
- Russia: 53%
- Australia: 51%
- India: 34%
- Most CyberSecure Countries
- 90% of potential cyberattacks are distributed denial of service, or DDoS attacks
- 75% of the cyberattacks targeted financial services
- 20% targeted business networks
- DDoS attacks seek to make a resource unavailable to users
- Americans are most afraid of losing access to
- Finances: 71%
- Cell service: 64%
- Running water: 62%
- Internet: 61%
- Fresh food: 61%
- Utilities: 53%
- Health records: 49%
- Americans are most afraid of losing access to
- Americans have already started taking measures to protect themselves from cyber-warfare, including
- Update all software for computers and mobile devices: 52%
- Backup important documents offline: 48%
- Back up computers and mobile devices offline: 46%
- Change important passwords: 46%
- Back up emails offline: 40%
- Have cash reserves as well as online banking: 37%
- Have generators installed and food and water storage: 31%
Sources:
- https://hbr.org/2022/03/what-russias-ongoing-cyberattacks-in-ukraine-suggest-about-the-future-of-cyber-warfare
- https://www.nextgov.com/cybersecurity/2022/03/more-80-cyberattacks-worldwide-happening-russia-or-ukraine/362964/
- https://www.nextgov.com/cybersecurity/2022/03/more-80-cyberattacks-worldwide-happening-russia-or-ukraine/362964/
- https://www.nextgov.com/cybersecurity/2022/05/survey-93-americans-fear-cyber-warfare-against-us/366665/
- https://red.msudenver.edu/2022/the-future-of-cyberwar/
- https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/a-new-age-of-cyber-warfare-motivates-the-next-generation-of-cybersecurity-training-301524945.html
- https://today.tamu.edu/2022/05/26/protecting-the-power-grid-through-cyber-physical-threat-response/ https://www.cnbc.com/2020/12/17/50percent-of-tech-execs-say-cyber-warfare-biggest-threat-cnbc-survey.html
- https://www.deseret.com/opinion/2022/2/14/22933905/ukraine-america-cyber-war-computers-malware-viruses-financial-company-healthcare-records
- https://www.nextgov.com/cybersecurity/2022/03/more-80-cyberattacks-worldwide-happening-russia-or-ukraine/362964/
- https://www.deseret.com/opinion/2022/2/14/22933905/ukraine-america-cyber-war-computers-malware-viruses-financial-company-healthcare-records
