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By Peter Griffiths in London November 30, 2007 10:00am
Article from: Reuters A "CYBER cold war" waged over the world's computers threatens to become
one of the biggest threats to security in the next decade, according to
a new security report.
About 120 countries are developing ways to use the internet as a weapon
to target financial markets, government computer systems and utilities,
internet security company McAfee said in an annual report. Intelligence agencies already routinely test other states' networks
looking for weaknesses and their techniques are growing more
sophisticated every year, it said. Governments must urgently shore up their defences against industrial
espionage and attacks on infrastructure. "Cybercrime is now a global issue," said Jeff Green, senior vice
president of McAfee Avert Labs. "It has evolved significantly and is no longer just a threat to industry
and individuals but increasingly to national security." The report said China is at the forefront of the cyber war. It said
China has been blamed for attacks in the United States, India and
Germany. China has repeatedly denied such claims. "The Chinese were first to use cyber-attacks for political and military
goals," James Mulvenon, director of the Center for Intelligence and
Research in Washington, was quoted as saying in the report. The report was compiled with input from academics and officials from
Britain's Serious Organised Crime Agency, the U.S. Federal Bureau of
Investigation and NATO. Cyber-attacks on private and government web sites in Estonia in April
and May this year were "just the tip of the iceberg", the report warned. Estonia said thousands of sites were affected in attacks aimed at
crippling infrastructure in a country heavily dependent on the internet. The attacks appeared to have stemmed initially from Russia although the
Kremlin denied any wrongdoing. "The complexity and coordination seen was new," the report quoted an
unnamed NATO source as saying. "There were a series of attacks with careful timing using different
techniques and specific targets." EU Information Society commissioner Viviane Reding said in June that
what happened in Estonia was a wake-up call. NATO said "urgent work" was
needed to improve defenses. The McAfee report predicted that future attacks would be even more
sophisticated. "Attacks have progressed from initial curiosity probes to well-funded
and well-organised operations for political, military, economic and
technical espionage," it said.
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