Page 24 - CDM Cyber Warnings November 2013

TWESC and Shout

The requirement to develop an explicit set of cyber terminology

By Ash Hunt

M uch has been said in the press of late, of the dreaded ‘cyber warfare’ but little detail and or

clarity has been given to this new dimension of sinister activity. With comments from the UK’s
Secretary of State for Defence, Phillip Hammond such as “it’s a new capability… we should
explore the boundaries of it” do little to reassure us that world politicians are imbued with the

necessary understanding of this emerging threat. It is necessary for governments to recognise
the requirement to fully understand the consequences, and look to the sanctions and policy that
need to be developed by the international community. This emerging cyber platform requires its

own bespoke set of explicit characterisations in order for us to delineate between the different
strands of sinister cyber activity.

The fifth domain presents many challenges, not solely in the physical practises of forming
resilient cyber defence, but in attitude and outlook as well. The all-to recent memory of the 1989

Quebec blackout, is an excellent example of the type of disruptive power that can be now
targeted as an 'act of man' not God, on a country: a solar paroxysm (a massive burst of solar
wind and electromagnetic radiation) resulted in the entire collapse of the Quebec power grid.

This left six million people without power for twelve hours. Whilst the outcome was a
consequence of a natural manifestation, it highlights the type of damage that could be replicated
with a cyber attack. Imagine, 6 million people without power for twelve hours, the failure of

household appliances, the closure of airports and public services and swathes of people
trapped in dark office buildings and elevators. The personal and institutional effects are vast.

Over the last decade, few nations have been forward leaning enough to give considered thought
to developing robust policy to this emerging domain, or to recognise the need for a defensive

cyber strategy. Currently, the three eminent activists in the cyber arena are what I refer to as,
the RUC Group (Russia, United States and China).

24 Cyber Warnings E-Magazine – November 2013 Edition
Copyright © Cyber Defense Magazine, All rights reserved worldwide