NATO and America's European allies say : increased cyber attacks originating from China that are targeting key government and intelligence computers.
This warning came from the FBI report last week detailing the "real ... and expanding threat" of cyber terrorism, especially from Al Qaeda.
Cybercrime has been the phenominun to detect the strategy of government leaking out there future plans and defence systems . This can destroy economy structure of the respective country .
FBI Director Robert Mueller said cyber-terrorists "will either train their own recruits or hire outsiders... as a means to damage both our economy and our psyche -- and countless extremists have taken this to heart,"
Mueller said that a cyber-attack could have the same impact as a "well-placed bomb." He also accused "nation-state hackers" of seeking out U.S. technology, intelligence, intellectual property and even military weapons and strategies.
cyber-attack wills surely make no loss to life but its effects can be destructive
NATO's recent warning focuses on China particularly perhaps , for secret intelligence material to be protected from a recent surge in cyberwar attacks originating in China. The cyber-penetration of key offices in NATO and the EU has led to restrictions because there are concerns that secret intelligence reports might be vulnerable, the London Times reports.
There are reportedly two forms of cyber attack: those focusing on disrupting computer systems and others involving "fishing trips" for sensitive information.
Security officials have indicated that China now poses the biggest threat -- but Beijing officails denies making such attacks.
In January, Google Inc, the world's No. 1 Internet search engine, said it had detected online attack on its systems that originated in China and said it believed at least 20 other companies had been targeted.
As google reproted , one of the primary aims of the attacks was accessing and aquiring the personal e-mail accounts of Chinese human rights activists.
Mueller said international cooperation was essential to combating online crime like the so-called Mariposa botnet incident in Spain. He added the FBI had 60 "attache" offices around the world as well as special agents embedded with police forces in countries such as Romania, Estonia and the Netherlands.
He urged businesses targeted in cyberattacks to come forward to help track down the perpetrators, saying the FBI was attuned to the delicate nature of the situation for corporations.
"We will minimize the disruption to your business, we will safeguard your privacy and your data and where necessary we will seek protective orders to preserve trade secrets and business confidentiality," he said.
Effects of cyber attacksEffects attacks
Physical effects:physical destruction of information structures with the consequences that the information system could not be used properly (DOS), to knock out electronics; with EW weapons such as EMP
Syntax effects: to attack system logic by delaying information and to develop unpredictable behaviors (viruses, trojans, hacking) using CNO tools
Semantic effects: to destroy the trust in a system by manipulation, change of information and deception that affect the decision making processPhysical
These battles are not hypothetical. Google's networks were hacked in an attack and that the company said emanated from China. And recently the security firm NetWitness reported that more than 2,500 companies worldwide were compromised in a sophisticated attack launched in 2008 and aimed at proprietary corporate data. Indeed, the recent Cyber Shock Wave simulation revealed what those of us involved in national security policy have long feared: For all our war games and strategy documents focused on traditional warfare, we have yet to address the most basic questions about cyber-conflicts.
THIS HAS TO PREVENTED AND IT CAN BE MUCH MORE WORSE AS IT LOOKS WRITE NOW. THE LOSS MAY BE MUCH MUCH BEYOND OUR IMAGINATION .
The cyber-war mirrors the nuclear challenge in terms of the potential economic and psychological effects.
