When Everything Goes Cyber, Threat Does, too.

8-9 May is commemorated as the Time of Remembrance and Reconciliation for Those Who Lost Their Lives during the Second World War. Most of them lost their lives due to the usage of conventional weapons – weapons which also threatened the lives of millions other. If the fear was the sound of incoming bombs or infantry raid, today, people may worry about the silence of 21st century weapon: cyber attack.

Technology does not only provide efficiency, but also possess threat to human race. The advance of technology is aimed not only to upgrade personal gadgets, but as well, weaponry manufactures. The term ‘cyber’ becomes significant even if it is a quite new concept for global security. It is a new field established by humans for battling – following the unsatisfication over land, sea, and air. Hence, nations across the world are racing for the sake of advanced mastery in digital technology.

Since almost every aspects of human life and governments’ vital instalations are now digitalized, we can presume how broad the range of cyber attack could be. A (group of) hacker could infiltrate a balistic missiles control system and fire them to another country, provoking nations and causing collateral damages – similar to a plot we can enjoy in X-Men: the Day of the Future Past. Cyber technology enables hackers to plan a scheme to crash a country’s economy and spark global chaos – also a plot we can enjoy in Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit. In 2013, Justice Department of the United States (U.S.) claimed that Iran had attacked U.S. infrastructure online by infiltrating the computerized controls of a small dam 25 miles north of New York City, speculated as a retaliation attempt for US-Israeli’s Stuxnet assault on Iran’s nuclear program previously[1] — this time, it was a true event. These series of events show us that cyber attack may lead to both physical and non-physical  damage in massive calibration.

            Cyber attack involves broader actors, unlike traditional warfare. To commit a cyber attack, the ‘belligerents’ are no longer only military personnels, but also civilians. Many hackers are not part of cyber army divisions belong to militaries, but recruited civilians tasked to assist the assaults. In some cases, terrorists are also the men behind the desks launching the attack, complicating the scope of the issue. Cyber attack is also unique since its execution does not require a war declaration. It means, without proper warning, a state can be attacked and experiences severe damage. The anticipation process is then difficult because the coming is almost unseen and untraced.

            Beside all of the frights caused by cyber technology, the world citizens also witness another side of the story from its development. Cyber attack can be a force combatting common enemies of the world. For instance, Islamic State’s website were brought down by Anonymous[2]. Since the capability to launch cyber attack is also possessed by civilians, it contributes to the idea of transparency and justice. The unveiling of various scandals and illegal practices were done because of the hackers were able and willing to do so. Secret documents leaked by Wikileaks and international scandals following the release of Panama Papers are the ultimate examples of these perks.

            Cyber technology is indeed requiring the correct hands to make it good for the good of the common. The future discourses of cyber technology are undeniably compelling.

[1] M. Thompson, ‘Iranian Cyber Attack on New York Dam Shows Future of War,’ TIME (online), 24 March 2016, , accessed 9 May 2016.

[2] D. Gilbert, ‘Anonymous Is Hacking ISIS, But Warns Collaborating With US Government Is ‘Deeply Stupid’,’ International Business Times (online), 15 December 2015, , accessed 9 May 2016.