The world has entered a new era of conflict – offensive cyber-attacks aimed at infrastructure and society, all done without a shot being fired.

The first nation state-level cyber-attack on critical infrastructure, widely attributed to a joint collaboration between American and Israeli intelligence against Iran, was uncovered in 2010. Known as the Stuxnet virus, the attack aimed to take down Iran’s nuclear program.

The virus failed to achieve its mission. But by destroying nearly 1,000 uranium-enriching centrifuges, it was unprecedented for having caused physical damage by way of virtual attack. And it ushered in a new era of conflict: that of offensive cyber-warfare.

Source: BBC Future

Date: January 3rd, 2018

Link: http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20180103-the-labs-that-protect-against-online-warfare

Discussion

1) “Corporate giants like IBM are setting up enormous cyber-security test labs where multinationals can come in and experience what it’s like to go through a cyber-attack – without any risk.”   Why does IBM do this?

2) Do you have to be an MIS major to care about cyber security?