Cyberwarfare

Cyberwarfare entails the use of the Internet by one state to attack another. Cyberwarfare attacks have disrupted countries’ infrastructure and communications systems, including financial markets, [Page 172]through the use of malicious code. So far, most cyberwarfare assaults conducted through cyberspace have involved distributed denial-of-service attacks and have targeted those involved by spamming their websites until they are no longer available for use. These attacks have the potential to do significant damage to the economy and society of a targeted country if carried out over a long duration of time. A well-planned, coordinated attack that simultaneously took down multiple computer systems involving air traffic control, financial transactions, and energy systems could wreak havoc on a country. This entry further defines cyberwarfare and describes how it differs ...