Mideast War Has Cyber Implications

This month marks the 20th Annual Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Since 2004, the federal government has declared the month of October to be Cybersecurity Awareness Month, which has acted as a vehicle for both the public and private sectors to work together to raise awareness about the importance of cybersecurity.

This milestone provides an excellent opportunity to reflect on the United States government's handling of cyber threats during this period, acknowledging both victories and failings in this ever-evolving battlefield of the digital age.

Over almost two decades, we've witnessed a multitude of high-profile hacking attacks that have shaken the foundation of digital security. The incidents serve as constant reminders of the ever-present danger lurking in the cybersphere.

Among the first internationally notable cyberattacks was an event that occurred in 2007 when Estonia faced a massive distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack from Russian state-sponsored attackers. The attack crippled Estonia’s digital infrastructure, including the parliament, banks and ministries, and foreshadowed the dangerous future of cyber warfare that we are currently in.

In the years that have followed, Russian-based actors have also been said to bear responsibility for the SolarWinds hack in 2020, a cyber-espionage hack that compromised both U.S. government agencies and private corporations, including the Department of Defense and Microsoft, and the plethora of attacks that have surfaced in the aftermath of the war in Ukraine, where hacktivists on both sides of the conflict have initiated countless digital intrusions.

The attack that is almost universally accepted as the first example of literal cyber warfare, the Stuxnet attack against Iranian nuclear facilities, is now over a decade old, and should be seen retrospectively as even more historically significant as a week-old war between Hamas and Israeli forces has erupted. The attack compromised software connected to at least 14 industrial sites in Iran, including a uranium-enrichment plant, and gave Stuxnet’s operators access to the fast-spinning centrifuges that were remotely controlled to tear themselves apart, thus limiting Iranian nuclear capacity.

Although the cyberwar element of digital security remains the most potentially destructive aspect of cybersecurity, the general public is most frequently targeted by bad actors, as hundreds of millions of people have been victimized by data breaches and cyber attacks in the 19 years since the inception of Cybersecurity Awareness Month.

One of the more significant examples of these attacks was the 2013 Target data breach, where hackers gained access to the financial data of over 40 million customers. The hack highlighted the critical importance of securing personal data and inspired discussions about better data protection laws, particularly financial data.

Another attack, one that had the potential for extortion occurred in 2018, when over 120 million Facebook users were exposed to a data breach that saw 81,000 users' private messages exposed online. The volume of data housed by the major social media outlets (Facebook, Twitter, TikTok) represents a treasure trove that is under constant attack by hackers on the dark web.

While cyberattacks can originate from various sources, a some highly capable threat actors have garnered a reputation for their audacity. The aforementioned Russia, as well as China, North Korea and Iran, have consistently ranked among the most dangerous players in the global cybersphere.

China in particular has been often accused of state-sponsored economic espionage and widespread intellectual property theft. The 2015 breach of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, compromised sensitive information of millions of government employees, and remains one of the most significant cyber intrusions attributed to China.

Additionally, the fact that millions of Americans, including members of Congress, are either currently using or have previously used the Chinese mega-app Tiktok in the past, also raises data privacy concerns as the app’s creators open their first European data center.

Over the past two decades, the U.S. government has had its share of both successes and failures. One notable success was the establishment of both U.S. Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM) in 2009, a dedicated military command responsible for defending against cyber threats, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the operational lead for federal cybersecurity and the national coordinator for critical infrastructure security and resilience.

However, there have been failings as well. The slow response to the evolving threat landscape and inadequate legislative measures to protect critical infrastructure have left vulnerabilities exposed. In addition, the lack of a comprehensive federal data privacy law has hindered the protection of personal information, leaving citizens at risk.

As we look beyond 2023, securing the future of the cybersphere requires a multi-pronged approach that seeks to address the dynamic nature of cyber threats. Some of the necessary actions America should take are:

• Increased Supply Chain Security: The Colonial Pipeline Ransomware Attack highlighted the need for comprehensive supply chain security. The federal government should establish standards and practices for supply chain risk management to prevent future incidents.
• Improved and Adaptive Defense Strategies: Cyber threats evolve quickly. The government should adopt adaptive defense strategies that combine proactive threat intelligence and rapid response capabilities, especially with the rise of cyberespionage malware strains like LuaDream.
• Private-Public Collaboration: Collaboration between the private sector and government is paramount. Sharing threat intelligence, best practices, and resources can effectively strengthen cybersecurity defenses.

As we mark two decades of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, we have to acknowledge the progress made and new challenges that lie ahead. The U.S. government, in partnership with the private sector and the international community, has to take decisive collaborative actions to secure the future of the cybersphere.

The 20-year journey has been marked by both triumphs and setbacks, but the path forward offers an opportunity to build a stronger, more resilient digital world for all.