Richard A. Clarke
Five “take-aways”
According to Clarke, there are five “take-aways” from analyzing the genesis and implementation of cyber warfare acts: cyber war is real, cyber war happens at the speed of light, cyber war is global, cyber war skips the battlefield and cyber war has begun. Each “take-away” holds a significant importance to today’s societies, and can help them understand how to defend against cyberattacks and mitigate damages for companies and businesses.
Cyberwar
Cyberwar is real: There are many examples of governments using cyber warfare as a tactic prior to physical military action. An example would be the Israeli government using cyber warfare to disrupt defense technologies in Syria as apart of military strategy in the mid-2000s. Another example of cyber warfare would be the Chinese government implanting chips in technologies they export to other nations that allow them to remotely control them and gain access to government and business confidential information. Even though cyberattacks occur in many nations around the world, the United States remains a frequent target for attack, especially from Russian and Chinese governments. The United States now has policies and departments in place to handle both international and domestic forms of cyber threats in order to combat the real danger of cyber warfare. The implementation of cyber warfare strategies is a constantly developing phenomenon in global affairs. While the early twentieth century saw a few instances of cyber warfare, most incidents were enacted toward the end of the century. In the early 2000s, several nations engaged in full-scale cyberattacks against other nations. With the challenge growing greater each day, the perception that cyber warfare is real remains something that government and business officials push to their citizens and employees. Institutions are only as strong as their constituents in protecting against cyber warfare. It is up to government and business employees to engage in secure activity with technology in order to protect networks from being compromised by attackers. Even though there are several examples of other countries using cyberattacks, many of them do not demonstrate the full capabilities governments have in conducting cyber activities. According to Clarke, the United States and other nations have the capability to devastate modern nations with cyber warfare. This likely refers to their ability to alter or destroy critical infrastructures that people need for their security and survival.
Speed
Cyberwar happens at the speed of light: Since cyber war occurs through technology, it can reach and alter a nation’s critical infrastructures at faster pace than physical military action. Cyber attackers have the ability to hide traces of their hacking, and many targets do not realize they have been subject to cyberattacks until weeks or months later. It can take governments and businesses weeks or months to identity vulnerabilities and patch damages to networks which gives unauthorized access to critical information to hackers for an extended period of time. Once cyber attackers penetrate systems, they can enact significant damages for large populations of people in a short amount of time.
Global
Cyberwar is global: The nature of cyberwar involves the implementation of cybercriminal activities by members of one nation to members of another. State actors around the world are responsible for millions of dollars in damages for governments and businesses each year. Attacks can also occur on a domestic level, which also cause significant threats to people within nations. Since cyber warfare can occur on both an international and domestic level, most developed nations have created strategies for handling cases in both areas. Due to the spread of malicious code, hackers can negatively impact entities in any target nation of choice because cyber warfare is a global phenomenon that can effect anyone at any given time.
Prevents, Deters or Precursor to Traditional War
Cyber war skips the battlefield: Cyber warfare often occurs before troops are even sent to enact military strategy on behalf of a nation. Cyber warfare usually exist as an extension of military strategy in which state actors attempt to collect information on other nations in order to change their critical infrastructures or strike them militarily. Cyber warfare makes it possible for countries to knock out defense technologies, collect information, bring down networks or damage critical infrastructures without the need of engaging in tactics on the battlefield.
It’s Ongoing
Cyberwar has begun: Since cyber war is something that has been implemented in various nations throughout the world, it will always be present and cannot be reversed to how it was in the early twentieth century. Cybersecurity remains an ongoing objective for governments and businesses around the world, many of which are investing time and resources into developing departments that can combat cyber threats before they arise. It is no longer the case of if cyber threats will arrive, but when and how to handle it in order to mitigate damages. Cyber warfare is so evasive that it occurs during times of war and during peace time; since it is an ongoing obstacles, governments and companies invest many resources to protect from cyberattacks even during times of peace. Clarke describes these phenomena as the blurring of peace and war, which adds a dangerous new level of instability among nations. This is important because cyber warfare remains a constant obstacle to fight against as people incorporate technology into their daily lives.
Impact on Lives
Each take-away supports the notion that cyber warfare is a constant obstacle which can have a devastating effect on populations; therefore, requiring participation from all people to protect against actions by cyber criminals. This statement is true for people working within the government and businesses, as well as people in their everyday use of technology. It remains imperative to protect critical data like banking information, social security numbers and other personal data from being collected by hackers. It is just as important to secure personal computers and other technologies as it would like networks by entities, as both could lead to potential attacks by state and non-state actors and could negatively impact individuals or large groups by damaging critical infrastructures or bringing down networks.