CYBERWARS

Matt Frei has written an article in the BBC News about the Stuxnet worm written, apparently, specifically to 'snafu'. He goes on to say,  ",,,this is a computer "worm" especially designed to disable software for power companies made by the German electronics giant Siemens and used by Iran's nascent nuclear industry.". He believes that the sophistication of the worm suggests it must be from only the resources afforded by a nation state.  He adds, "If this is all true -and I cannot completely banish the suspicion that this might be some elaborate hoax- then we have indeed entered an era of cyberwar."

Mr. Frei  writes excellent articles as a rule but that last thought makes me wonder where he has been for the past few years on the cyberwar front.  There have been cyberwars for years.  It is not something new.  Like all wars, we are not going to be hearing a lot of detail about them.  It is imperative that we stop thinking of war as something done only with guns, tanks, bombs, and death.  The War on Terrorism should have alerted even those who still think that Evolution is a theory, that the definition of war should be rewritten.  Wikipedia describes it as: " War is a phenomenon of organized violent conflict,^[1][2] typified by extreme aggression, societal disruption and adaptation, and high mortality."

This definition is as fitting in today's world as the story of Adam and  Eve in the Garden of Eden as the origin of man on earth.  It no longer can be taken as literally accurate.  We know too much.about secrecy involved in sabotage, revenge, desire to cripple institutions, grasp of power, and all the reasons that, in the past, have led us to open warfare.  There was a time, when men totally ran the world, that nothing but brute strength could be conceived as warring and winning.  We have become sufficiently civilized and our technology has advanced such, that power is won tactically as much as through brute force and killing more of the enemy than is lost on your own team.

.There are people writing books on cyberwar.  To see some, click here. Our world can no longer ignore the power of the Internet and Computers.  We are as dependent on computers as we are on the government  there to protect us and act as guardians of our liberty, economy, education, health, infrastructure and all those issues that should be foremost of any candidate's political platform today..  Software piracy is nothing new.  Anyone who has had a computer for any length of time knows that none are safe from intrusion onto private computers from outside hackers.  Without 'ports' we wouldn't be able to receive anything on the Internet.  People are getting far richer on security for computers than they are on home security these days..Ports have to be protected and we know that there is always someone hacking the best protected systems.

We have been at war on many fronts for many years; drug trafficking,  illegal immigration,  sabotage, terrorism, invasions of all sorts and so much more.  There is little indication that it will lessen in our future.