Module 13: Watch this video on “Cyber warfare is everywhere”. He explains how human warfare evolved through the ages and how cyberwarfare is a culmination of it all. Something new he talks about is the concept of “Kinetic Cyberwarfare” and provided “Stuxnet” as an example. Research on other examples and provide your feedback.

The definition of Kinetic Cyberwarfare is when someone causes direct or indirect harm such as injury or damage to a crucial system through vulnerabilities. This concept has already happened to hospitals, power plants, and even oil companies. An example other than Stuxnet can be the attack Russia used against Ukraine. Russia intended to disarm and disrupt as many of Ukraine’s systems and infrastructure as possible. The attack extended across multiple sources such as finance, government campaigns, power, etc. 

Cyberspace is where many essentials exist or where physical necessities rely on usage. Powerplants are mostly automated and can be controlled and monitored. The article written by Lewis on the Russia vs. Ukraine cyber war makes a statement I believe perfectly sums up the severity of cyber wars. “When a missile destroys a power plant, the smoking rubble can be observed. It is more difficult to tell if a cyberattack has succeeded or how permanent the effect will be. (Lewis, 2022)”

Resources:

Goud, N. (2018, January 2). What is a Cyber Kinetic Attack? – Cybersecurity Insiders. Cybersecurity Insiders. https://www.cybersecurity-insiders.com/what-is-a-cyber-kinetic-attack/

Lewis, J. A. (2022). Cyber War and Ukraine. https://www.csis.org/analysis/cyber-war-and-ukraine