The Power of a USB
Dasha McDonald
The future of warfare is changing with the continuous introduction of new technologies and weapon systems. As much as we assume technology is evolving, we often leave it at that and are reluctant to further educate ourselves. Cyber operations are changing the concept of war as we know it. This matters because flooding the internet with misinformation can destabilize communities, and hacks to critical infrastructure can lead to power outages that leave millions stranded without essential resources.
A cyber operation, in regards to the political system, can be defined as “unauthorized access to computers, computer systems or networks to obtain information,” which can be used to “alter, delete, corrupt or deny access to computer data” (Dinstein 19). Every country has a power system that is increasingly susceptible to hacking due to a lack of structural protection. As modern warfare evolves, theoretical attacks are becoming empirical statistics.
One of the most well-known and publicized examples of a political cyber attack struck Iran the hardest in 2010. An American-made computer worm dubbed “Stuxnet” infiltrated computer systems in several Iranian uranium enrichment facilities used to produce nuclear weapons. The worm was extremely successful, destroying 984 centrifuges and resulted in an approximately 30% decrease in the facilities’ production. Essentially, a programmed virus set an entire country back years in bomb production.
Shockingly, Stuxnet was never supposed to attack Iran—its release was accidental. Nobody working with Stuxnet knows how the virus got out, and it is theorized that a random worker launched it from their USB drive (Holloway). Many American government officials see cybersecurity as the biggest threat to their country. Therefore, they often hot-glue USBs into their computers—that is if they are in one of the few branches that still allows USBs because Stuxnet was no anomaly (Sanger, Ingersoll).
A cyber operation tool (virus) has been used, it can be used by anyone with the technical and operational abilities. Once Stuxnet was released, Iran then possessed both the malware and harnessed the capability to use it offensively.
In 2017 Chinese hackers acquired National Security Agency (NSA) cyber programs and released them on the internet where any person, group, or nation could access American intelligence community software. China’s publication of NSA programs encouraged Russian, Chinese, and North Korean hackers to launch cyber attacks on American “hospitals, airports, shipping operators, ATMs and factories.” Cyber attacks were conducted on multiple cities like Baltimore, Maryland which disrupted online actions such as health alerts, water bills, and real estate sales (Zilbermints). When a hospital is hacked, life support, MRIs, and oxygen tank systems attached to its electric system, patients and personnel are at the mercy of the hacker.
American cybersecurity journalist Kim Zetter once wrote, “The nations, of course, that are most at risk of a destructive digital attack are the ones with the greatest connectivity.” It is time that ultra ‘connected’ countries begin to recognize the increasing cybersecurity risks.
Bibliography
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Dinstein, Yoram, and Arne Willy Dahl. “Section II: Cyber Operations.” Oslo Manual on Select Topics of the Law of Armed Conflict, 2020, 19–29. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-39169-0_2.
Holloway, Michael. “Stuxnet Worm Attack on Iranian Nuclear Facilities.” Stuxnet worm attack on Iranian nuclear facilities, July 16, 2015. http://large.stanford.edu/courses/2015/ph241/holloway1/.
Ingersoll, Geoffrey. “The Biggest Threat to National Security Is the Thumb Drive.” Business Insider. Business Insider, July 24, 2013. https://www.businessinsider.com/the-biggest-threat-to-national-security-is-the-thumb-dri ve-2013-7.
Sanger, David. Pentagon Puts Cyberwarriors on the Offensive, Increasing the Risk of Conflict; New York Times; 17 June 2018; https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/17/us/politics/cyber-command-trump.html?searchRes ultPosition=6
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Zilbermints, Regina. “Hacking tool responsible for attacks on Baltimore, other cities developed by NSA: report.” The Hill. 5/26/19.