Cyber warfare, the new battleground

Cyber warfare is the new battle ground besides traditional warfare. With todays highly interconnected world, nations as well as non state actors have realized the potential of cyberspace as a domain for conducting offensive and defensive operations. Here are the reasons why cyber warfare is considered a significant battleground.

1. Strategic Significance: Cyber warfare attacks can be carried out to target critical infrastructure, government networks, military systems and financial institutions. Compromise or disruption to these systems can have a catastrophic effect on a nations day to day functioning, national security and economy.
2. Anonymity & Attribution Challenges: Attacks can be launched from anywhere in the world, which makes it hard to pinpoint and identify the specific individuals or groups. This means that the attackers have an advantage as they can operate covertly in turn possibly creating a sense of deniability.
3. Low Barrier to Entry: Cyber warfare attacks can be launched with ease and low resource requirements compared to traditional battlefield operations. This means that attackers with moderate technical expertise and access to the basic tools required can cause significant damage and disruption.
4. Rapid & Widespread Impact: Cyber warfare attacks can spready quickly and reach targets on a global scale hitting multiple targets at the same time and have a far reaching impact.
5. Persistent Threat: Unlike fighting on the standard battlefield, such cyber warfare attacks can be ongoing and of a persistent nature. This means an attacker can maintain a long term presence on the victims network continuously gather intelligence and disrupting operations.
6. Hybrid Warfare: cyber warfare usually goes hand in hand with standard military operations in the form of disinformation campaigns, economic coercion and other non-traditional military tactics.
7. International Norms & Regulations: Discussions are currently under way in the international community in terms of diplomatic discussions in regards to treating and agreements when it comes to norms and regulations governing cyber warfare.

The above factors are making governments as well as armies realize how important cyber security is and how crucial it is to defend against such cyber attacks as well as conducting cyber operations. Cyber warfare is something that has become important in national security strategies as well as remaining a critical battleground moving forward.