“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and few minutes of cyber-incident to ruin it” – Stephane Nappo.

In an interconnected world like today’s, any digital challenge has far-reaching consequences than it had a century ago. On top of the line among these is cyberwarfare. It is another side effect of globalization that the world faces besides its numerous positive effects. Cyberwarfare refers to the usage of cyberattacks against a state to cause comparable damage to their vital computer systems leading to espionage, propaganda, and blackmail. This type is distinct because it keeps the identity of the attacker anonymous which prevents him from being identified directly. Hence, this feature increases the complications.

The first cyberattack is said to have been carried out in 1834 in France when criminals accessed the French telegraph system to steal financial market data.

Since the world now depends on digital networking, businesses, earning, communication, and managing infrastructure, cyberwarfare has gained popularity among attackers leading to escalated incidents of cybercrime with each passing day. Historically, the first cyberattack is said to have been carried out in 1834 in France when criminals accessed the French telegraph system to steal financial market data. It was even before the internet was a thing. These incidents have continued to occur to this day. However, their impact is far greater and the damage they cause is far-reaching today.

Cyberwarfare, unlike conventional warfare, operates in an anonymous environment which enables the state or non-state entities to conduct attacks without being identified. The globalized world we live in is dependent on digital infrastructure in all domains and this has made cyberwarfare an attractive resort for countries that hold no power to conduct conventional attacks. Thus, they conduct cyberattacks to avoid the blame and have the job done.

Among these numerous high-profile incidents of cyberattacks many have occurred in recent years. Notably, the Bundestag cyberattack in Germany in 2015 was carried out by a group linked to Russian intelligence. The attackers were successful in stealing large amounts of data from German legislative offices undermining the trustworthiness of their government. Then in 2016, the US Democratic National Committee (DNC) was targeted by a cyberattack that was conducted by the Russian government’s hackers which resulted in the leakage of important emails and confidential files. It had serious political consequences and showed that cyber criminals could now impact democratic functioning.

Similarly, in 2020, the US Department of Homeland Security faced the SolarWinds attack in which cyber criminals, who were again seemingly attached to Russian intelligence, tried to enter their software supply chain which affected a wide range of private and government sector systems. It was conducted in a way that it could not be tracked down until several months.

Cyberwarfare, unlike conventional warfare, operates in an anonymous environment which enables the state or non-state entities to conduct attacks without being identified.

Later in July 2024, several countries – Australia, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, South Korea, and New Zealand – came together and issued a notice concerning Chinese state-sponsored cybercrimes that were tracked down within their networks. In the same way, in August 2024, US government officials accused Iranian hackers of penetrating Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. Similar attempts were made in Joe Biden’s time by offering him stolen documents from the Trump campaign when they were not responded to. This incident alerted US officials about potential interference from adversaries in the upcoming US elections.

Overcoming the challenges of cyberwarfare require a well-planned strategy that includes technological, tactical, and cooperative efforts. Among these strategies, some recommendations suggest that first and foremost, all countries need to strengthen their cyber security system including firewalls, intrusion detectors, and encryption technologies.

The international community must outline a set of consequences for cyberattacks such as economic sanctions or retaliatory actions to make the countries aware of the consequences of their actions.

It is also essential to update security patches and implement a zero-trust security model that notifies of every access request. Intelligence agencies need to counter cyber threats by analyzing the strategies of adversaries in cyberspace. This can be made possible by collaborating with trustworthy private companies and can also rely on the use of AI and machine learning for threat prediction. Furthermore, cyberwarfare requires global collaboration to weaken it altogether by setting standards for a state’s cyber behavior as advocated by the United Nations Group of Governmental Experts (UNGGE).

Similarly, the international community must outline a set of consequences for cyberattacks such as economic sanctions or retaliatory actions to make the countries aware of the consequences of their actions. Besides that, educating the public and cyber workforce about cyber hygiene practices through awareness programs and government initiatives, like recognizing phishing emails, usage of long and complex passwords, etc. Moreover, organizations and intelligence institutions regularly need to update their response plans for such incidents by running simulation exercises and dummy attacks to pinpoint their weaknesses and overcome them to lessen the impact of an actual cyberattack.

To sum up, cyberwarfare appears to be a great global dilemma for countries and their sensitive institutions in an interconnected world like today. Several such high-profile attacks have been part of top news in recent years. Their impact is growing with each passing day and the anonymous nature of attackers makes it even more complicated.

Overcoming the cyberwarfare challenge requires a well-planned strategy. This can be made possible by improving cybersecurity, bolstering cyber intelligence, increasing international collaboration, strengthening public-private partnerships, and learning from successful examples. If such strategies are utilized by countries in the right way at the right time, only then can they avoid cyberwarfare and its consequences.