On a day like any other day, you step into your office; you fire up your computer, check your e-mails while sipping that priceless morning cup of coffee. In a fraction of a second, all hell breaks loose; your company network has just been hacked.
Cyber wars are as real as expecting the sun to rise and shine every morning. It is modern warfare operated without the sound of bombs and gunshots and without military aircrafts ever leaving the ground. IT analysts predict hundreds, if not thousands, of attacks are carried out each and every day. Astounding isn’t it? These vary between state sponsored attacks, criminal motivated attacks, or attacks carried out by hobbyists. Favorite targets are governmental websites, military, security related networks, financial and nationally sensitive networks such as telecom and power grids.
Imagine the costs of having the power grid of an entire country malfunction for an hour. Or having the whole communication infrastructure go down for the same period of time. Imagine what horrible catastrophes might result. Yet, this is only one aspect of cyber wars. In fact, cyber attacks could be silent and undetected. Imagine gaining the ability to monitor phone calls, cell towers, or having access to financial institutions to manipulate stock prices or bank accounts. From every angle you look at it, this is alarmingly serious.
On a state level, down to businesses and even individuals, protecting information on networks has become a priority. As usual, super powers competing for global dominance show up first and try to control the scene.
According to experts in the field, what is happening between the US and China in the cyberspace warfare could escalate to the level of a cold war. A US deputy defense secretary once wrote that cyber defense is “Just as critical to military operations on land, sea, air, and space.”
The same story goes for businesses. Stealing manufacturing designs and secrets is also a major type of a cyber war. US and India, for example, have repeatedly complained about cyber attacks on their corporate and infrastructure systems in the past few years.
So what about Saudi? As an important player on the regional and international political and economical scenes, whether we like or not, we are caught in the middle of this. We have no choice but to be absolutely prepared. That preparation came under scrutiny a few weeks ago when Aramco, the country’s arm for oil production, was attacked. Although information is yet to be made available on the nature of the attack, it is fairly likely to claim that Aramco succeeded in passing the test. Despite internal involvement, as many reports signaled, none of the company’s critical operations had been compromised.
Still, it is a wake up call to everyone; governmental and private sectors alike. Networks security should be a cornerstone of any organizations’ risk management plans. In a world that is increasingly dependent on data networks, understanding and investing in security is not a luxury but a matter of survival. Initiatives are needed from everyone. Start-ups specialized in data privacy and securities are essential, comprehensive programs provided by universities are encouraged. It is collaborative work that is needed to be safe in a world so intricately and technologically connected like never before.
