Cyberwarfare: Origins, Motivations and What You Can Do in Response

Abstract

This cybersecurity white paper explores the origins and motivations of cyberwarfare, and provides actions you can take in response.

Sample

Elements of Cyberwarfare

There are a wide range of cyber actions that can be used as an element of cyberwarfare. Think of these as primarily offensive actions, although some may have a defensive purpose as well. These weapons must be developed and maintained for a nation to be able to perform an act of cyber war.

Most of the concepts typically related to hacking or penetration testing can be used as cyberwarfare tools, including reconnaissance, scanning, system identification, and vulnerability scanning. These are tools and techniques that assist the attacker in gaining more knowledge about the specifics of the target’s IT infrastructure.

Once foundational knowledge is obtained about the target, the next element is to take advantage of a known or assumed vulnerability of the target. This is often known in the penetration testing community as gaining access, but it could also focus on damage and destruction instead of just remote control or intrusion.