Estonia suffered a number of significant cyber attacks in the following months.
In 2007, Estonia relocated a statue associated with the Soviet Union, the Bronze Soldier, from the center of its capital Tallinn to a military cemetery near the city. The FBI found similarities to previous malware attacks by North Koreans, including code, encryption algorithms, and data deletion mechanisms. The attack is attributed to North Korean government hackers. Sony Pictures HackĪn attack on Sony Pictures followed the release of the film “The Interview”, which presented a negative portrayal of Kim Jong Un. According to most reports, the attack seriously damaged Iran’s ability to manufacture nuclear weapons.
The malware spread via infected Universal Serial Bus devices and targeted data acquisition and supervisory control systems. It is among the most sophisticated cyber attacks in history. Stuxnet was a worm that attacked the Iranian nuclear program. Here are several well-publicized examples of cyber warfare in recent times. This can be done to prepare the ground for a physical attack in the context of hybrid warfare. The point is to carry out a massive attack that the enemy isn’t expecting, enabling the attacker to weaken their defenses. These are the cyber equivalent of attacks like Pearl Harbor and 9/11. Attackers can target computer networks of economic establishments such as stock markets, payment systems, and banks to steal money or block people from accessing the funds they need. Most modern economic systems operate using computers.
Propaganda can be used to expose embarrassing truths, spread lies to make people lose trust in their country, or side with their enemies. Propaganda AttacksĪttempts to control the minds and thoughts of people living in or fighting for a target country. Attacks on the power grid can also disrupt communications and render services such as text messages and communications unusable. Electrical Power GridĪttacking the power grid allows attackers to disable critical systems, disrupt infrastructure, and potentially result in bodily harm. This type of attack can be used to disrupt critical operations and systems and block access to sensitive websites by civilians, military and security personnel, or research bodies. Denial-of-service (DoS) AttacksĭoS attacks prevent legitimate users from accessing a website by flooding it with fake requests and forcing the website to handle these requests. Hostile governments or terrorists may steal information, destroy it, or leverage insider threats such as dissatisfied or careless employees, or government employees with affiliation to the attacking country. Government organizations must determine sensitive information and the risks if it is compromised. In cyber warfare, this can involve using botnets or spear phishing attacks to compromise sensitive computer systems before exfiltrating sensitive information. Refers to monitoring other countries to steal secrets. Here are some of the main types of cyber warfare attacks. There are several examples of alleged cyber warfare in recent history, but there is no universal, formal, definition for how a cyber attack may constitute an act of war. Some consider cyber warfare to be a cyber attack that can result in death.Ĭyber warfare typically involves a nation-state perpetrating cyber attacks on another, but in some cases, the attacks are carried out by terrorist organizations or non-state actors seeking to further the goal of a hostile nation. The US Department of Defense (DoD) recognizes the threat to national security posed by the malicious use of the Internet but doesn’t provide a clearer definition of cyber warfare. There is, however, a debate among cyber security experts as to what kind of activity constitutes cyber warfare. It has the potential to wreak havoc on government and civilian infrastructure and disrupt critical systems, resulting in damage to the state and even loss of life.
Cyber warfare is usually defined as a cyber attack or series of attacks that target a country.