Terrorists May Resort To Cyber Warfare

Everything has gone online and you can expect that even terrorists will use this to push their own agenda. 

Kaspersky Labs founder Eugene Kaspersky said cyber warfare can be as damaging as traditional modes of attacks.  When asked to name his top fears, Kaspersky said terrorism and cyber warfare rank first, followed by privacy violations, identity theft, and cyber crime. 

What worries Kaspersky is that hackers may use cyber weapons to cause real damage. He cited the Stuxnet attack, which damaged an Iranian nuclear plant in 2011. 

Industry observers said the virus was specifically designed to attack the Busehr nuclear plant. It overrode and controlled the circuits, and caused massive damage.

The CIA was believed to be the group behind the cyber attack. Security expert Ralph Langner said the virus was so sophisticated that it can only be developed a state-backed group of developers. 

Cyberweapon cans also cause major harm to telecommunications, banking systems, electricity, among others. 

The Internet security expert also said ‘hacktivists’ can utilize their skills to wreak havoc online. Anonymous, a group of hacker-activities, has been known to infiltrate websites and disrupt both private business and government agencies. 

Kaspersky said hacktivists usually just follow someone else. These leaders may be powerful and professional people who have their own motives and agenda. Kaspersky said what may be harmless activities can escalate into terrorist levels. 

And although the threats are real, Kaspersky said it appears the Australian government cannot do anything about it. He admitted that no government is likely able to address this threat. 

Kaspersky said the only way that countries can protect themselves from cyber warfare is to have international agreements.