McAfee Releases an Excellent Report on Cyber Warfare

McAfee has released the Fifth Annual Virtual Criminology Report subtitled Virtually Here: The Age of Cyber Warfare. The Foreword by Dave DeWalt, President and CEO, McAfee, Inc., sets the stage.

The annual McAfee Virtual Criminology Report has traditionally focused on the methods, targets and behavior of cyber criminals. And yet, as we put together the 2007 report, numerous experts pointed out that nation-states were not only spying on each other in cyberspace, but also developing increasingly sophisticated cyber attack techniques. Since that report was published, we have seen the concept of cyber war debated more often in the face of mounting attacks and network penetrations that appear to be motivated by political objectives instead of financial gain, making it a stretch to characterize them as cybercrime. We decided to revisit the possibility of war in cyberspace in this year’s report.

Experts disagree about the use of the term “cyber war,” and our goal at McAfee is not to create hype or stoke unwarranted fear. But our research has shown that while there may be debate over the definition of cyber war, there is little disagreement that there are increasing numbers of cyber attacks that more closely resemble political conflict than crime. We have also seen evidence that nations around the world are ramping up their capabilities in cyber space, in what some have referred to as a cyber arms race.

If cyberspace becomes the next battleground, what are the implications for the global economy and vital citizen services that rely upon the information infrastructure? What should those of us outside the military do to prepare for the next wave of cyber attacks?

Finding answers to these questions was not easy because much of this discussion is only happening behind closed doors. We believe this veil of secrecy around cyber warfare needs to be lifted.

There is little doubt that the impact of cyber war will extend beyond military networks. As our dependence on Internet technology grows, so does the need for thoughtful discussion on political conflict in cyberspace. This year’s Virtual Criminology Report highlights the complexities and potential consequences that arise when political conflict goes online. Our hope is that the report will help encourage and frame a global dialogue on protecting our digital resources from the scourge of cyber war.

The report is not groundbreaking stuff for cyber security experts, but it is easy to read and very useful for everyone else. In my opinion, this report does a great job of building a broad contextual understanding of cyber warfare for the broadest audience possible. Another aspect of the report that I think is helpful is how it explores the uncertainty surrounding the role of the private sector in cyber warfare between nation-states.