CYBERSPACE THE NEW MILITARY FRONTIER

Introduction

1. Cyberspace is the ultimate result of the combination of the man and the machine.
It is the total interconnectedness of the human beings, through computers and
telecommunication without the regard of physical geography.

2. The credit for invention and popularization of this term lies with William Gibson;
he used it first in his novel ‘Neuromancer’ 1994.

3. Cyberspace is often used as a metaphor for describing the non physical terrain
created by the computer system. It is a space created by the online systems, in which
people and systems can act react and interact with the other. Just as physical space it
involves objects and different modes of transportation and delivery. It is governed by
similar rules and laws.

4. The Mongols is a classical example of a force that fought with cyber warfare
principles. They were organized more as a network than as a hierarchy. Also the
relatively minor military power of Viet Cong defeated a major military power like the
United States just by operating more like a network than an institution. In both the cases
the opponents were as organised as an institution, whose force was designed to fight in
attrition battles.

5. Throughout history military doctrine organisation and strategy have continually

undergone profound changes due in part to technological breakthroughs. The Greek
phalanx, combination of the gun and the sail, blitzkrieg, the history is filled with
examples in which new weapons, propulsion, communication and transportation
technologies provides basis for advantageous shift in doctrine organisation and strategy
that enable the innovation to avoid exhausting attrition battles and pursue instead o form
of “decisive warfare”

6. Cyber warfare can be used to describe various activities involved in defence of

information and computer networks and denying an adversary ability to do so and
offensive information operations mounted against an adversary or dominating
information on the battlefield. It is a relatively new type of weaponry with various effects
on the target. It has no limitations of use and can achieve most of the set goals.

Netwar

7. Netwar refers to information related conflict at a grand level between nation and
societies. It means trying to disrupt damage or modify what a target population ‘knows’
or what it ‘thinks it knows’ about itself and the world around it. It may involve public
diplomacy, propaganda and psychological campaigns, political and cultural subversion or
interference of local media.
Cyberwar

8. Cyberwar refers to conducting and preparing to conduct military operations

according to information related principles. It means disrupting if not destroying the
information and communication system, and broadly can be defined to include even
military culture on which an adversary relies in order to know itself, who it is and what it
can do, when and why it is fighting, which threats to encounter first etc. Cyberwar can be
described as the means too know all about an adversary while keeping him from knowing
about oneself. It turns the balance of information and knowledge in ones favour.

9. This form of warfare may involve diverse technologies notably for command,
control, communication and intelligence (C3I), for intelligence collection, processing and
distribution for tactical communication positioning and identification friend or foe (IFF)
and for smart weapon systems.

10. It may involve electronically blinding, jamming, deceiving overloading and

intruding into an adversary’s information and information circuits. Yet cyberwar is not
simply a set of measures based on technology. And it should not be confused with past
meanings of computerised automated, robotic or electronic warfare. Cyberwar may be to
21st century what blitzkrieg was to the 20th.

Stages in Cyber Warfare

11. The first step in attack of an information system is cyber infiltration; all systems
that incorporate software are vulnerable to cyber infiltration

12. it may be followed by a cyber raid which may affect an organisation via transfer ,
destruction and altering of records.

13. the software of the information system can be manipulated via various means, it
encompasses cyber manipulation.

14. the software can be copied damaged or rewritten ,it is termed as cyber assault.

Targets of Cyber Warfare

15. Military C3I Systems. Military command, control, communication and

intelligence (C3I) are particularly vulnerable. These are the primary focus of cyber
warfare and are extremely vulnerable because they interconnect with each other. The c3i
systems are very complex and include various systems like radio, radars mainframes to
personal computers. A military c3i can use interface through internet, LAN and modems,
civilian and military communication systems and radios in all frequency ranges. Cyber
infiltration can enter at many points and potentially affect a myriad of systems. The
systems and their actions are so complex that for any modern military organisation it is
highly unlikely to trace the full potential of a single cyber infiltration. The possibility of a
cyber attack always exists and can result in catastrophic. Like the military c3i of USA
incorporates the nuclear control system. Since military computers are a core of the system
it poses as a grave security threat.

16. Weapon system. With the advent of numerous technological breakthrough most
of the erstwhile mechanical system are being replaced by computer controlled ones. High
tech avionics in fighter plane, missile launch system, communication system etc. and
pose as a lucrative target. Cyber infiltration of c3i system providing data to modern
weapon such allows an avenue for cyber raid, manipulation and assault. For example in
the new generation aircrafts the GPS automatically updates the info necessary for aircraft
flight control, it can be manipulated to allow undetected infiltration of the aircraft. The
navigational system of guided missiles can be controlled by correct sequential inputs and
right reprogramming to hit a friendly target instead of a hostile one.

Identification of vulnerabilities of a target

17. The first rule in identifying cyber warfare vulnerabilities is that any software
controlled system that can accept an input can theoretically infiltrated and attacked. In
other words all systems except that except external inputs are vulnerable.

18. The second rule is to expect every software controlled system to be the target of
cyber infiltration.

Methods of cyber infiltration

19. Cyber infiltration can be achieved by the following means:

(a) Physical infiltration. Physical infiltration is made through system

hardware, e.g. keyboard, mouse, cockpit controls in aircraft and removable media
provides physical inputs into a system. The first line of defence for a software
based system is to secure the physical inputs and outputs of the system. If these
are not secure the system is not secure. Any sys can be compromised if a cyber
attacker can directly infiltrate the system. It can be later maintained by installation
of repeaters and remote input devices on hardware. Like bugs in phone lines are
common method of surveillance, modem and LAN lines are equally vulnerable to
them.
An easy method of physical infiltration is to use a pare LAN connection in
a hub or route. Using common network parts, a connection can be made directly
or through radio frequency (RF) transmitter from a LAN to an infiltrators
computer. The infiltration methods are only discovered by careful system audits
or visual inspection.
 (b) Signal infiltration. Signal infiltration comes through existing indirect or
direct connections, to a system. These connections are typically LAN routers,
infrared devices, radio frequency connections and modems. Any system with
external connections can theoretically be infiltrated. No system can be ever said to
be foolproof. The number of potential entry points is limited only by the number
of direct and indirect connections into system. For instance a system with an
Internet server is vulnerable to cyber infiltration from any computer connected to
the internet. An isolated network with a modem connection is vulnerable to any
computer that can call into it. These input paths are used to infiltrate the system
and then assault, manipulate or raid it.

Defensive operations

Physical security is the primary means of protection of a system protection.

without some degree of physical security all of the defence methods mentioned below
will become useless.
(a) Inactive defence methods
(i) Isolate all critical systems.
(ii) Put critical operations until manual control.
(iii) Keep human control in the loop when integrating systems.
(iv) Inherent breach points must be identified and plugged.

(b) Active defence methods

(i) Password and authentication.
(ii)Anthropomorphic measures (using biometric security).
(iii) Tokens e.g.( magnetic cards and radio frequency identification RFID).
(iv) Multiple authentication or logon.
(v) Multiple connections logons
(vi) monitoring software

Offensive Operations

Offence is the best form of defence and it can be proactively employed in cyber
warfare. The following methods can be used for offence:

(a) Password cracking programs

(b) Identification programs (location and identity of a system)
(c) Attack program (cripples the system)
(d) Sniffer and watcher program (gleans password and other system information)
(e)Tagging software (e.g. cookies)
(f) System overflows programs (crashes a system by over flooding it with data)
(g) Data manipulation
(h) Logic Bombs(manipulates the operating system)
Conclusion
Gain of importance of information system in today warfare the information
systems in today’s warfare; information security is the key to any conflict or even a war.
Cyber warfare is becoming more and more powerful in today’s battlefield and affects
development of armies in many countries.
For a nation like India, which is counted as one of the major powers and with the
growing advent of new technologies, we must prepare to be able to fight in such a
secenario. The battle of tomorrow will be in the hands of he who controls information
about the battle field and this adversary. A new age has arrived the age of the cyber
warrior.

IC 69166M
Lt Shamsher Kelshikar
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