Cyber Warfare … Not “if” but “when”

We are now truly in the Information Age.

Just this week we saw the first signs of Cyber warfare, and where the US launched a cyber attack against Iranian weapon systems. This type of warfare is obviously more silent than enabling air strikes, but can lead to the same end goal. It is said to be a response to attacks on oil tankers. To make it a “war”, all we need now is for a retaliation from Iran on the US, and then for things to escalate from there.

Not if

It is not “if” … but “when” … cyber warfare will happen, and it is likely to signal (or trigger) the first phases of warfare between two countries. Unfortunately, when the NATO Treaty was signed, there was no such thing as a cyber attack, and many countries are now debating whether a cyber attack could constitute an act of war. One most worry that in places that where there is already tension, a perceived attack could trigger warfare.

The recent #NotPetya ransomware attack had some analysts speculating why it seemed to mainly target Ukranian companies, and even the thought that it could have been nation-state drive could have led to finger-pointing for nation-state activity, and thus significantly increase tension between nations.

So while cyber espionage is commonplace, the legal system of most countries has not…