Cyber ​​weapons – Weapons of immeasurable danger

The downside of digital is the risk of being attacked by cyber weapons – a problem that has been of particular interest to experts in many fields and the media recently.

The modern world is being “digitized” at a rapid rate. Almost every service, every industry, from finance, industrial enterprises, … to the armed forces, is already networked at one level or another. In the “smart home” with TVs, refrigerators, vacuum cleaners, washing machines, microwave ovens …, and even smart light bulbs are becoming common; On the street, there were the first cars with autonomous driving systems.

Such devices are expected to make people’s lives easier, but certainly these technologies will also be applied in other areas as well. While digital systems and services make the quality of human life much better, in theory all digital systems can be hacked – which is already in practice. positive.

Computer virus

Theoretical basis for the development of the “computer virus” was formed almost simultaneously with the emergence of the computer itself in the mid-20th century. In 1961, engineers Viktor Vysotsky, Doug McIlroy and Robert Morris of the Room Bell’s telephone experiment had developed programs that could make copies of themselves – the first viruses. They are created in the form of a game that engineers call “Darwin”, the purpose of which is to send bots to friends to see which will destroy more of the competitors’ programs and create more copies of itself to fill someone else’s computer.

Cyber ​​weapons are said to be equally complex and are weapons of mass destruction; Source: topwar.ru

In 1981, Virus 1,2,3 and Elk Cloner appeared on Apple II personal computers; a few years later, the first anti-virus programs appeared. The word “computer virus” in fact includes many types of malware: worms, hijackers (rootkits), spyware, zombies, adware, virus blocking (winlock), Trojan viruses (trojans) and their combination. If the first viruses are often written for entertainment, over time they begin to be “commercialized” – to steal personal and financial data, disrupt device operations, encrypt the data. for the purpose of blackmail …

With the advent of electronic money, computer viruses received a new function – bringing the user’s computer “as a slave” to mining cryptocurrency, forming a huge network of computers. botnet infection (before that, botnet also existed, such as to send spam mail or DDoS attack). Opportunities like this cannot help but make the military and intelligence agencies in general with missions – steal something, destroy something …, care.

Computer virus – a strategic weapon

On June 17, 2010, for the first time in history, the win32 / Stuxnet virus – a computer worm that infects not only computers running the Microsoft Windows operating system, but also industrial systems that control the processes. automatic production, detected. This worm can be used as a means of gathering unauthorized data (spying) and sabotaging automated process control systems (APCS) of industrial enterprises, power plants, boilers, etc.

According to cybersecurity experts, this virus is the most complex software product, developed by a professional team of dozens of experts. In terms of complexity, it can be compared to a Tomahawk cruise missile, and is designed for cyber operations. The Stuxnet virus has damaged some uranium enrichment centrifuges, slowing down Iran’s nuclear program. Intelligence agencies of Israel and the US are suspected of developing the Stuxnet virus.

Industrial facilities, infrastructure, services … all can be targets of cyber weapons; Source: topwar.ru

Later, other computer viruses were discovered, with a degree of complexity similar to that of win32 / Stuxnet (most suspected of being an Israeli / US product), such as: Duqu, designed to collect confidential data in a confidential manner; Wiper (late April 2012), destroyed all information on some of the servers of one of the largest oil companies in Iran and completely paralyzed its work for a few days; Flame, a spy virus, is believed to be developed specifically for attacks on Iran’s computer infrastructure (can identify mobile devices with Bluetooth module, track location, stealing confidential information and eavesdropping on conversations); Gauss, aimed at stealing financial information: e-mail, passwords, bank account data, cookies, as well as system configuration data; Maadi (suspected of Iran) – can collect information, remotely change computer parameters, record audio and transmit it to remote users …

Application

In the Middle East, for example, the largest producer of liquid natural gas (LNG), has an interest that seriously conflicts with the interests of another country. The Middle East country has a network of oil and gas pipelines, LNG production lines and a fleet of Q-Flex and Q-Max tankers designed to transport LNG and has a military base of the third country. three are on its territory. An armed attack directly on a Middle Eastern country could do more harm than good. Then, the solution might be the use of cyber weapons.

Modern oil and container ships are becoming more and more automated; No less automation is used in LNG plants. Therefore, specialized malware is loaded into the control systems of the Q-Flex and Q-Max tankers, or their LPG storage systems, theoretically permissible at a certain time ( or on an external command, if there is a network connection) creates an artificial accident that completely or partially destroys selected tanks / tanks. It is very likely that flaws in the LNG production process lead to neutralization, including potentially destroying the plant.

Cyber ​​weapons can easily have the same effects as the recent Suez Canal clogging; Source: topwar.ru

An explosion of an LNG carrier due to an accident at the entrance to a port or the failure of the LNG storage device can not only result in damage to the vessel itself, but also damage to coastal infrastructure. The goals could therefore be: undermine the energy supplier’s reputation, with the possibility of consumers reorienting the natural gas market of another country; increasing prices for world energy sources, helping to generate more revenue for the national budget; undermining political activity and interfering in the internal affairs of other countries in the region, due to a decrease in the financial capacity of the country in question.

Depending on the economic damage inflicted, a complete shift in ruling elites could occur, as well as a limited conflict between that state and its neighbors, who may want to take advantage of neighboring countries’ weaknesses to change the balance of power in the region. The crux of this activity is secrecy, so that there is no direct blame without clear evidence. The United States has repeatedly been accused of conducting hostile operations against even its most staunchest allies.

Another option for using cyber weapons has been suggested by a recent incident. A giant ship – an oil tanker or a container ship, passing through a narrow canal, suddenly the control system gives out a series of commands to dramatically change the direction and speed of movement, resulting in the ship spinning break and completely block the channel. It can even be flipped, making it extremely time-consuming and costly to rescue it. The Evergreen Group’s container ship blocking the Suez Canal shows how congestion of shipping arteries affects the global economy. It is especially effective if such incidents occur simultaneously on several channels.

Or most recently, Iran is accusing Israel of terrorizing its Natanz nuclear base network … In the absence of a clear trace of the culprit, it would be extremely difficult to establish – anyone can also be blamed for this. Therefore, the development of industrial-scale cyber weapons is considered to be a top priority. Information technology along with nanotechnology and biotechnology are the cornerstones of dominance in the 21st century, but the development of cyber weapons is much cheaper than the development of promising nano biotechnology. and conventional modern weapons ./.