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Cyber-warfare - The Fifth Dimension:

Today the World is talking about the use of Pegasus Software which has been allegedly used by Government agencies to manipulate and control institutions and Society. The Controversy is mired with suppositions, facts, false trials but also the kernel of the truth - has reignited the debate on Cyber Warfare. Pegasus is no ultimate form of cyberweapon but it has still awakened the Nations from their sleep and compelled them to ponder on the threat posed by these new-age weapons.

Hominoids to Hominids [The Evolution]:

One of the first instances of the use of this kind of Cyber weapon was in 1990. It was used by Israel's Intelligence Agency on one of the chief bomb makers of Hamas Abd-al Ayyash. A doctored phone was containing explosives was blown out when he got a call from an unknown person. 

This was a paradigm change in the usage of explosives. Before a lot of efforts were used to breach the area and plan the explosives with much risk and resources utilized. Later usage has minimized the risk factor and the resources utilized with deploying the attack in very little time. Recently in 2019 Norsk Hydro Plant was attacked with minimum resources and shortest time possible with anonymity. Moore's law democratized access to computing and the Internet which opened a new avenue for communication all this comes at a price. The price paid for it is the erosion of privacy with more cyber attacks and cyber being used as a potential weapon by the countries and individuals to full fill their objectives.

The Fifth Dimension:

Today Cyber is often touted as the fifth dimension of warfare in addition to Land, Sea, Air, Space. Cyber as a domain poses threat to not only Nation but also the individuals. The warfare is no longer out there it is from within a cozy room filled with computers. Today Israel Dominates the Cyber Domain with countries like China, the USA, Korea constantly.

Cyberweapons are becoming the preferential choice in the matter of wars but also in the time of peace. They hold the potential to distort the system and topple the institutions. More often they come with the cloak of invisibility with challenges to pinpoint the origin of attacks.  As the world is becoming more digital the intensity of cyber weapons is increasing as they will be able to manipulate more and more devices. If Artificial Intelligence technologies are for creating these weapons then it would be very difficult to stop such attacks.

We are the Guardians:

As a Nation and also as a citizen of the Nation it is our sole responsibility to guard ourselves against these kinds of attacks. The Nation should be well prepared for such a kind of attack and the knowledge and expertise of private industries can help to achieve their misuse. Proper compliance and legal framework should be bought to hold accountable for the entities allowing the misuse. An International body comprising stakeholders from all over the world should take the responsibility for proper standards and trade of these kinds of weapons. As a Citizen, we can educate our fellow members of the safe usage of Internat and the digital traps the cybercriminals set up. 

"Technology is a double-edged sword".


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