Cyber Attack: The New Act of War?

Photo Source: http://ramkshrestha.wordpress.com

There have been a lot of cyber attacks incidents globally targeting both private enterprises and government agencies. Some limited to "seemingly harmless practical jokes” –such as defacing websites; while others involve serious DDOS attacks causing site downtime or information leak, translating to monetary losses in sales and advertising or worse classified data.

The most recent of these attacks is against Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Japan's biggest defense contractor. MHI is the country's topmost weapon manufacturer from missiles to warships and submarines.

BBC reported that last August, MHI's 5 network servers and 38 PCs were infected with malware from an outside source, allegedly through spear phishing. The attacks infected 10 facilities across Japan, notably its Kobe and Nagoya sites which makes engine parts for missiles. While there is no lead yet as to the motive and the person behind the attack. The MHI assured the public that no sensitive information has been leaked.

Over the years of technological development, cyber crime has likewise evolved. What was once considered as a form of annoyance -such as the introduction of virus, have turned into destructive mechanisms destroying business networks and causing financial losses globally. However, what is alarming about this written attack is that the thrust of cyber crime is not about destruction anymore. It has shifted to information war, to be specific -stealing highly classified data, which could be valuable not only financially but more importantly politically.

As Matthew Lesko puts it, "Information is the currency of today's world. Those who control information are the most powerful people on the planet." Thus, we can only expect two things: more attacks in the future and the government as well as private entities taking active participation in online security development in terms of technology as well in law or policy.

News Source:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-14982906

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Entry No. 14

Soleil Flores

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From Big Guns to Sleek Gadgets

If you think an iPad (or any other tablet device) is just for entertainment and ‘information on the go’ . I suggest you think, or should I say tap again.

Just recently the Singapore’s Defense Ministry announced its plans to issue the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) 8,000 sets of tablet devices, to its military recruits starting November this year. According to the report, this is to "harness our advantage of today's technologically savvy servicemen" by "exploiting the use of popular and current information and communications technology." The device's camera can be used to send photos and videos to share intelligence data and for post-mission assessments. It would also allow for group chats and live messages to commanders or other battalions. (http://www.gmanews.tv/story/224687/technology/singapore-military-adopts-ipad-2)

“This changes everything. Again.”

Back in the days, no one would have ever thought that such devices can be used for the military. In fact, can we imagine the AFP holding IPads and rifles at the same time? Probably not in a million years. But with today’s technology, a lot of things that seemed absurd and unheard of come alive. As early as 2010, the UK Military has adopted the iPad for training its soldiers. And today, special applications for military use are being worked on with third parties not only in Singapore but also in the United States as well (e.g. SoldierEyes by Textron Systems).

The recent developments in military tactics only proves that the use of tablet computer technology is not anymore limited for the gadget-hungry mass consumers looking for ways to entertain themselves. It has evolved into a different game altogether involving the government. Tablet military warfare anyone?

(Image Source: Image Source: http://thenextweb.com/apps/2010/07/30/uk-militarys-new-recruit-an-ipad-app)

Entry #2

Paranoia Drones

I just had a nightmare. I dreamt that while I was running in an open area, I looked up the sky and saw an aerial vehicle flashing laser beams like crazy, slicing through everything it passed. The roads had indentations everywhere and a lot of buildings have already collapsed. There were a lot of people running, and the screaming was deafening.

I know for a fact that it was caused by a deep-seated fear of predator drone attacks. Not that it's imminent (God I hope not), but reading about it, talking about it, and thinking about it gives me the creeps. I recently shared with my students how data about people are mined, how intelligence about people have become so easy to obtain, and how easy it was to target and kill people using predator drones.

Essentially, predator drones are unmanned aerial vehicles that are controlled from a distant command station. Earlier, predator drones were used for surveillance and the images are projected onto a screen. Now, they're loaded with hellfire missiles (so it's not the same laser beams in my dream) that are capable of targeting and annihilating the target from a distance of 15km. There are variations in specs - capability, capacity, hovering time, and even size. It can be as large as planes and are capable of hovering for more than 24 hours, looking for the target. I read somewhere that they've developed predator drones that are just a few inches small but is capable of lethal force.

Wow. So you're just sitting there watching TV and from out of nowhere, a predator drone strikes you and your limbs are just all over the place.

It's now commonly used in anti-terrorist campaigns. The targeting information comes from somewhere and then, KABOOM. The suspected terrorist is dead. They say the targeting information is accurate, but who knows? No arrest, no trial, no nothing. Just like that, and you're dead. And again, I read somewhere, that the Philippines has it down south. Wow. Creepy.

Predator drones are supposedly accurate and are able to zoom in on their targets, but the collateral damage is still horrendous. I've also read a study about predator drone operators and the Playstation effect. For some of these operators, it's just about pressing buttons and hitting targets onscreen. Creepy again.


Predator drones seriously raise human rights and international humanitarian law issues. And as for me, serious nightmare issues.



Salma Angkaya
Entry #11