DSEi 2011: Cyber attacks only tip of the iceberg, says Detica
The number of 'highly covert and targeted' cyber warfare attacks against defence and national security organisations around the world cannot be estimated, according to a wholly-owned subsidiary of BAE Systems.
Speaking at DSEi on 15 September, Henry Harrison, technical director at Detica, said the point of a covert attack was to evade detection. Acknowledging the 'Stuxnet Incident' which he said was 'widely believed' to have comprised an effort to cause disruption to uranium centrifuges in Iran, Harrison admitted: 'We don't know how many more [attacks] there have been.'
Highlighting the wide array of cyber attacks, which can range from visible to covert missions, Harrison described attackers' objectives to disrupt, manipulate and thieve information. 'These are the things you might want to do in cyber space,' he said.
Highly covert targeted attacks, he continued, comprised military attack, hacktivism, extortion, terrorism and cyber espionage - the last of which he described as being 'rife' and 'less reported'.
A small number of reported incidents is blamed on the 'Targeted Attack Iceberg' which comprises reported, unreported and undetected incidents.
'Cyber espionage may be more significant than you may be aware of. Defence and national security organisations around the world are affected by this. What is really significant is that the problem has grown,' Harrison continued.
Referring to the UK's National Security Strategy which highlighted cyber as one of four 'tier one' risks to the country and designated some £650m to the cause, he urged: There is real recognition from the government that cyber security is no longer the preserve of geeks and information technology specialists.'
You may also like
More from Digital Battlespace
-
![Orbit upgrades two multi-purpose terminals and carries out land testing]()
Orbit upgrades two multi-purpose terminals and carries out land testing
The communications company has upgraded two of its Beyond Line-of-Sight Multi-Purpose Terminals (MBTs) by introducing advancements in satellite communication technology and AI-driven maintenance capabilities.
-
![Norway to receive maritime surveillance satellite data from Kongsberg]()
Norway to receive maritime surveillance satellite data from Kongsberg
Norway's Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace has announced that its subsidiary Kongsberg NanoAvionics will produce three satellites and launch them in 2025.
-
![First South Korean 425 Project observation satellite launched]()
First South Korean 425 Project observation satellite launched
In 2015, South Korea named a consortium of Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) and Hanwha Systems, along with Thales Alenia Space providing the SAR payload derived from its HE-R1000 product, as preferred bidder to develop new Korea 425 Project reconnaissance satellites.
-
![Hanwha Phasor’s first military antenna to hit market this year]()
Hanwha Phasor’s first military antenna to hit market this year
UK-based company will launch the Phasor L3300B land antenna for mobile communications following a US$113.7 million investment from parent firm Hanwha.
-
![Thales strengthens focus on digital trust environments for military operations]()
Thales strengthens focus on digital trust environments for military operations
At the Future Soldier Technology Conference, Thales Land Communications highlighted the necessity of establishing a digital trust environment to enhance armed forces’ decision-making and operational resilience.
