How to escape the dead-end cyber war and possibly win

Cyberwar or cyber warfare is a nation’s action to damage or exploit other nations’ computer systems or networks. A great deal of crucial information is at risk if it isn’t secured correctly since it’s already predicted that cybersecurity would certainly define many of the future’s clashes and wars. This post covers all the aspects of cyber wars and how nations must gear up to ensure stringent security.

Defining the Threat

Today, technology has offered new horizons to businesses and the private sector. Yet, the increasing risk of cyberwar can’t be overlooked. Cybercriminals and even officials of different countries/states are finding new ways to sneak into other states’ networks and exploit their sensitive information.

However, regardless of its overall cyber defense system, every country can’t deal with the newly introduced attacks that surpass the fragile line of defense and fall prey to cyberwar. In the most simple terms, cyberwar or cyber warfare can be defined as a nation’s actions to damage or exploit other nations’ computer systems or networks.

A great deal of crucial information is at risk if it isn’t secured correctly since it’s already predicted that cybersecurity would certainly define many of the future’s clashes and wars.

What is a Cyber War?

Cyberwar or cyber warfare can be defined as the unethical use of technology to attack countries, especially for sneaking into strategic and military purposes. These kinds of attacks are usually initiated by cybercriminals or even by different terrorist groups that aim to tarnish an individual nation’s goals.

In a nutshell, hackers or unauthorized individuals withdraw crucial information regarding a specific country, their future action plans and then plan an attack accordingly for maximum destruction. Unlike the conventional destruction caused by standard weapons, cyberwar is quite challenging to trace and may go unnoticed for even months. Every nation is concerned about the increasing risk of cyber-attacks, especially when it comes to the overall security of their sensitive information that shouldn’t be in the hands of unauthorized people.

Networks Within a Nation That Are at a Greater Risk

Cybersecurity experts worldwide depict that cyberwars are initiated by precisely examining a nation’s overall security mechanism in diverse networks.

They always prefer attacking those that can lead to a more significant loss in terms of financial losses and overall reputation. However, the future cyberattacks that could be categorized into cyberwar would certainly target a majority of networks within a country, including:

●    Banking System: Logic bombs could quickly destroy heaps of records, including transactions, and money could be withdrawn through surpassing a weak line of defense. Moreover, stock exchanges could be targeted and may hamper stock market activity.

●     Telephone and Internet Networks: One of the major risks of cyberwars is that the internet and telephone communication networks could be knocked down. Cybercriminals are constantly finding new ways to sneak into a network of a government entity to know their action plans well in advance and prepare a more robust and effective attack in the future.

●     Power Plants and Electrical Utilities: Power grids are also at great risk for cyberwars. Hackers can damage the power grids leading to regional blackouts.

●     Air Traffic Control Centers: Another big concern among the cybersecurity experts is to maintain and safeguard their air traffic control systems, which, if not done correctly, may lead to brutal consequences.

These kinds of cyber-attacks on the virtual networks within a country are aimed to weaken and disrupt a nation’s global image. Although, the aim behind such attacks could be even worrisome since these kinds of attacks would be the base for winning a war.

What Nations Need to Know to Avoid Cyberwar and Mitigating the Risks

Since no nation or organization is safe from an attack that may lead to potential data loss, finances, or reputation, it’s crucial to reinforce and update the overall security mechanism well in time. There are undoubtedly many ways to ensure the highest level of security of their networks, organizations, and individuals by ensuring that the key infrastructure is protected and no loophole is left in their overall security mechanism.

Here’s the list of essential security measures that can strengthen the overall security of a nation against any cyberwar:

●     Adopting world-class hardware authentication, data loss prevention, and cloud techniques that strengthen security.

●     Adding multiple stringent layers of authentication through multi-factor authentication (MFA) and risk-based authentication (RBA).

●     Training employees in cybersecurity principles and measures.

●     Regularly updating anti-spyware software and anti-virus software on every crucial system.

●     Securing Wi-Fi networks within high-risk organizations.

●     Incorporating access control mechanisms within organizations that collect, store, and manage crucial information.

●     Changing passwords frequently and using strong passwords that can’t be guessed or cracked easily.

The Bottom Line

With the global expansion of the internet propelling the nation's growth, cyber frauds and risks have also surged exponentially, which may lead to cyberwars in the future. On the other hand, technology experts around the globe have been consistently warning regarding the introduction of new ways of cyber frauds and data exploitation.

It’s undoubtedly high time when nations should strictly adhere to robust security measures to safeguard their sensitive information distributed across different networks.

Every organization must incorporate the best security practices to prevent their critical infrastructure from falling prey to hackers.