Is It Warfare or Something Else?

The term “warfare” – when talking about information warfare or cyber warfare – is somewhat misleading.  The term “warfare” indicates a conflict between governments, nations, or at least corporate entities.  The problem I have with using this term in this context is that it implies that the average individual is not at risk or affected.

The amount of data about the average person that is now stored on government, corporate, or social sites, servers, and databases is astonishing; while no one entity may have the entire puzzle, many have pieces.  Retailers collect information on what you buy and how you pay. Creditors collect information on your assets, debts, and credit ratings.  There is all kinds of stuff “out there” – Just do a simple Google search and you will find information that may surprise you…

https://www.mindpointgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Impact-of-Cyber-Attacks-on-the-Private-Sector.pdf

That being said, information warfare affects everyone.  Look at the OPM hack – millions of people had detailed and confidential information compromised, along with countless other people who had been interviewed, listed as a reference, or involved in a security clearance review. Data breaches at major retailers, such as Target and Home Depot, have exposed the information of many more.

http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2014/10/cyber-attacks-on-us-companies-in-2014

Maybe we should coin a new term, perhaps “Cyber Assault” or “Cyber Mugging.”  After all, we are hearing more about direct attacks against private individuals, such as ransomware attacks, where a hacker locks down your computer until you pay them to release it.  This sort of attack really is not “warfare” between large organizations, but an electronic version of extortion and theft that can happen to almost any private citizen.

http://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/us/security/definition/Ransomware