Cyberwarfare isn’t just the stuff of Sci-Fi movies. It’s a very real threat to our hyperconnected global world. Historically, warfare was thought of in terms of physical domains—air, land, sea, and space; however, technological advances have ushered in a new, less geographically confined element to warfare—cyber.
What is cyberwarfare?
The generally accepted definition of cyberwarfare is the use of technology to harm a nation. This could include things like data leaks, espionage, and disruptions across both public and private networks. Typically, when we think of cyberwarfare, it’s a series of cyber-domain-related tactics intended to destabilize and cause harm on a broad scale. This could be an adversarial nation shutting down power plant production in another country, a terrorist group hacking a military database, or a foreign-controlled social media app collecting data on American citizens for war-related purposes (TikTok, anyone?).
In terms of scope, acts of cyberwarfare are usually much greater than just a systems breach that results in the identity information of the general public being leaked onto the dark web. They are more like digital bombs with big “blast radiuses” meant to disrupt, disarm, and destabilize in a way that requires a lot more than just the IT department to repair.
How does cyberwarfare affect you?
We’re all connected to our families, communities, and organizations via technology. There are many positives to this technological advance—like the ability to video chat with loved ones thousands of miles away. However, the same technology that brings us increased accessibility, convenience, and efficiency, can provide the vantage points for adversaries to cause harm. We saw this first hand when the CrowdStrike outage in 2024 resulted in mass disruption to communication, logistics, transportation, and even medical care.
Our society’s increasing dependence on technology for routine functions increases our vulnerability in this area. Connectivity can be a wonderful thing, until it’s under attack.
What makes cyberwarfare different?
In addition to occurring in a different “domain” (remember: air, land, sea, and space), cyberwarfare presents the potential for more civilian involvement in terms of casualties than what we saw in wars and conflicts of the past fifty years. The battlefields of cyberwarfare will not follow clear geographical bounds, such as those we observed in Afghanistan and Iraq. Instead, the battlespace of the cyber domain is likely to have far-reaching impacts in non-militarized zones. For example, acts of cyberwarfare targeted toward the United States could impact many aspects of our increasingly connected life—communications, economy, health care, infrastructure, and travel.
It’s unlikely that these attacks would be restricted to only impacted uniformed military personnel. Civilians could very well be casualties of these warfare engagements. Thus, potential targets of cyberwarfare—you and me—should have some awareness of what could happen. While I’m not advocating for Cold War-style fallout shelters being installed in our homes in preparation for a broad-scale cyberattack, people should be informed on what threats are, where they may be coming from, how they might present, and the impact potential. Not exactly dinner table discussion topics, but worth consideration for anyone living in the Digital Age.
Who would engage in cyberwarfare?
Technology has a way of leveling the playing field—allowing points of entry for otherwise non-threatening players, such as obscure terrorist groups and bad actors. While we don’t typically think of these small groups as waging war, the cyber domain has reduced barriers to entry for all interested in engaging. National states that are our adversaries—China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia—are likely contenders in the realm of cyberwar. They could either wage war against us directly or sponsor terrorist groups to do so, as we saw with Iran’s backing of Hamas both through the terrorist attacks of October 7, 2023, and the ongoing concealment of hostages.
The cyberwarfare capabilities of these “players” haven’t been demonstrated—yet. However, we’ve seen instances of cyberwar via Russians in their attack on Ukraine, including a cyber attack on a municipality that coincided with a missile launch in an attempt to foil Ukraine’s response efforts. Additionally, the collection, management, and usage of American TikTok users’ data by the Chinese is another example of how acts of cyberwarfare may fly under the radar (and into your back pocket!) without much awareness. In all instances of cyber-facilitated aggression and violation, civilians are, in numbers, the most impacted.
What can we do to bolster national security on the cyber front?
Should we panic, like the actors and actresses in Sci-Fi movies do when they realize the robots are out to get them?
No.
Should we give up our smartphones, swear off the Internet, and go off the grid to escape the vulnerabilities that technology brings?
No.
Americans should stay up to date on matters related to cyberwarfare, so they can make informed decisions about our nation’s leaders, and the access points of technology that they allow in their own lives. At present, there’s a digital arms race, both for talent and technology supporting the expansion of cyber capabilities. The new administration must increase our cyber capabilities rapidly to keep pace with the projected threat.
A few things you can do to support our national security on the cyber front:
Concerned citizens should consider getting engaged in cyberspace as professionals and vendors to support our nation’s success. We continue to face shortages of qualified and capable cyber professionals and will need input from America’s best and brightest to defend against our adversaries. There are many ways for interested cyber professionals to support the nation in the public sector—as federal employees, uniformed military personnel (active-duty or National Guard/Reserves), or government contractors.
Additionally, individuals can demonstrate good practices in terms of their technology consumption and consumerism. Delete foreign-controlled apps from your phone. Increase your digital literacy. Strengthen your critical thinking skills. Get active in civic engagement and positive social activities, and spend time outside—don’t exist to simply swipe and scroll incessantly on your smartphone. Our technology habits are like our diets—they impact our lives and the lives of those around us.
Together, we can make a difference in securing our future.