The Digital Future of Global Conflict: How Cyber is Used in Modern Warfare

The risk of cyber-attacks has existed for many years, but it is arguably higher now than ever, as so many elements of our modern society are powered by digital technologies. Around the globe, cybercriminals are attacking countries’ very social fabric through their digital infrastructure. This has led to a fundamental shift in terms of what “warfare” looks like, moving away from soldier vs. soldier or army vs. army to include more widespread attacks on an entire country.

Cyberwarfare can include attacks on:

●???? Military facilities and other national security institutions

●???? Financial institutions, such as banks and credit unions

●???? Civil infrastructure, such as power grids and traffic management systems

●???? Individual citizens of a target country

This wide range of potential targets is one of the major reasons that cyberwarfare has become so common, but equally important is that many potential targets don’t take the necessary precautions to protect themselves from cyber-attacks. Cybersecurity fatigue and complacency often leave gaps in logging and patching, resulting in unpatched vulnerabilities and other basic configuration weaknesses. Even high-level threat actors often don’t have to resort to more complex hacks, as they have often found these types of vulnerabilities in even high-profile targets. As a result, overall confidence regarding the ability to deal with these attacks remains low: according to a recent report from Armis, 66% of IT leaders doubt the U.S. government can defend against cyberwarfare.

The scale of global cyberwarfare has grown significantly in the just the past few years: in 2023, the United States government identified an ongoing Chinese hacking campaign against American infrastructure, a threat that experts claim is still very real. Additionally, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine also included several cyber-attacks, from malware-laden phishing emails to the hacking of residential webcams in Kyiv to gather information on the city’s air defense systems. There is also the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine, where both parties have used the digital tools at their disposal to disrupt the opposing side.

Perhaps the most notable thing about the rise of cyberwarfare is that the primary victims tend to be civilians. Cyberwarfare doesn’t necessarily allow terror groups to face major powers on more equal terms. For example, Hamas’ online operations have not been able to offset Israel’s military superiority. Yet the impact that cyber-attacks can have on civilians is significant: a recent study found that cyberattacks arouse severe psychological distress akin to the harm generated by physical terrorism, leaving people feeling trapped and anxious and damaging their sense of safety. Also, cyberattacks involving the spread of fake news hurts their ability to differentiate between accurate news and falsehoods, which fuels further misinformation.

With the digitalization of our economies, defense and communications systems have expanded beyond traditional conflict zones, creating a wider range of attack vectors. This means that cybersecurity must be a top priority from now on. Cyber doesn’t just exist alongside warfare – it is a key tool that defines how it operates in the modern era. Only by embracing that connection can global powers keep their people safe.