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“Cyber Warfare: A Misrepresentation of the True Cyber Threat” by Troy E. Smith Essay (Critical Writing)

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Introduction

Modern civilization’s dependence on computers and computer-operated technologies has skyrocketed over the previous twenty years. The incidence of dependence has increased dramatically. National security concerns relating to technology are of the utmost importance since contemporary technology has become an integral element of the basic infrastructure of every modern nation. As a result of all this worrying, people have a skewed picture of cyber danger, which has led to the present situation when added to the complexities of cyberspace and political goals. Current governments and the mass media would consume the public to think that cyber war is already begun, despite links between the motivations for cyber-attacks and criminal activity, espionage, and even terrorist activities. Even though criminal conduct is the sole proven cause of cyber-attacks, this is the case. According to the article, “cyber war” is a deceptive phrase. The only indication of cyber warfare has been speculation constructed on historical data, rumor, false information, and the misunderstanding or manipulation of facts.

Strengths

The term “cyber warfare” has erupted to refer to an action that does not encounter the norms required to be called a war after the most existing iterations of global authorized frameworks and clarifications. Even though there is disagreement on the meaning of “cyber war” and what it involves, there is universal agreement that cyber weapons and cyberattacks are real. These weapons can easily present an actual threat to safety even if they cannot be classified via the categories technologically advanced for conventional weapons. If the government endures misrepresenting the level of the cyber risk, it will lead to the danger of losing the care of citizens and investors. These people will assert that the administration is accountable for creating a big deal out of a little issue.

Designing and implementing strategies to stop, lessen, and raise awareness of the cyber threat would be difficult without help. Acts of vandalism, theft, snooping, and terrorism are examples of online hostility. The phrase “cyber war” was also on the list; it has been used by more and more individuals lately. Besides all these, opinions on whether or not previous cyber security events should be observed as acts of war differ greatly between the governments, parliamentarians, statistics technology experts, state security agencies, and the military. On the other hand, some government systems worry that war is coming despite the certainty that criminal conduct, undercover activities, or terrorism have inspired utmost cyberattacks. It is difficult to determine if cyberattacks constitute aggression or whether using the power in place of the United Nations Contract constitutes their usage, and it is unlikely that a legal settlement will be established very soon.

The goal of the hack was commonly assumed to be the destruction of the industrial machinery; however, cybersecurity professionals claim that the genuine goal was to impair the system temporarily. Cyberattacks must be covert and anonymous to realize their potential fully. Before a cyberattack may be deemed effective, it must remain undetected and be given enough period to do damage. A misrepresentation of the true cyber threat on the United States of America (Smith, 2013). As operational security and statistics security procedures will be sensitive during an open battle, making it exceedingly difficult to infiltrate networks, this will reduce the efficacy of the cyber-attack. It is because the cyberattack will occur while these defenses are being strengthened. Global analysis indicates that the rate of cyber warfare is high and has affected the world’s economic status.

This fraud is comparable to the USA PATRIOT Act, which was approved the minute Americans were still rotating from the impact of 9/11 and living in relentless dread of radical attacks and were consequently more open to having confidence in whatever the government said would help. But once that period had gone and people started critically analyzing the Act, they saw that it violated their lawful rights and granted the government and the intelligence municipal unprecedented, unregulated authority that could be readily exploited. The underlying issue with incorrectly linking cyberattacks to conflict is the possibility of creating a self-fulfilling prophecy. There has already been a raise in tension among Russia and China and with Western countries due to the perception that cyberattacks may constitute acts of war.

Weaknesses

The Obama administration has approved of and even endorsed the need for cyberwar readiness. It might be seen as a political ruse on the government’s side rather than anything supporting the cyberwar idea. This false information has two main objectives. The administration’s first goal is to persuade Congress to approve cybersecurity legislation. The danger being overstated may be a significant driving force toward congressional action. Compared to the discussion, appeals to emotion, such as terror, may elicit a reaction far more quickly. Second, the government is optimistic that the public will innocently support its efforts to control the Internet, which is nowadays mostly uncontrolled. The government will have extra control over the Internet as an outcome.

Also, each government is devoting resources to developing potent cyber weapons that may be used in a cyber war as it prepares for the possibility of an impending cyber conflict and defends against attacks. However, if the danger is misrepresented, it can result in an open disregard rather than the government’s inevitable response. After hearing “wolf” howl for an extended period, people may begin to discount the possibility of cyberwar and, regrettably, the associated reality of the cyber threat. Instead of just spreading the idea of cyberwar, future governments must make serious efforts to build the required policy tools and examine the application of existing international law.

Summary

Cyber warfare has only been proven by conjecture founded on historical facts, rumors, misunderstanding information, and the misunderstanding or manipulation of realities. It seems the media has mostly sensationalized cyberattacks, leading to the notion of a cyber war. It was important to highlight that most information that “confirms” the impending cyberwar comes from for-profit organizations primarily focused on product sales. Private enterprises are vying for a slice of the fast-growing sector that identifies the cause of the future cyber war and develops defenses. For the worm to reach the target system, the cyber attacker had to let it infect some other computers. A weapon that relies on chance takes a long time to work, cannot be used in plain sight, and only can strike once can hardly be regarded as extremely dangerous at this point. Technology today plays a crucial role in every nation’s essential infrastructure in an era when dependence on computers and computer-based systems has expanded tremendously. Computers are becoming targets for attacks due to people growing dependence on them.

Reference

Smith, T. E. (2013). A misrepresentation of the true cyber threat. American Intelligence Journal, 31(1), 82–85. Web.

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""Cyber Warfare: A Misrepresentation of the True Cyber Threat" by Troy E. Smith." IvyPanda, 4 June 2024, ivypanda.com/essays/cyber-warfare-a-misrepresentation-of-the-true-cyber-threat-by-troy-e-smith/.

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IvyPanda. 2024. ""Cyber Warfare: A Misrepresentation of the True Cyber Threat" by Troy E. Smith." June 4, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/cyber-warfare-a-misrepresentation-of-the-true-cyber-threat-by-troy-e-smith/.

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IvyPanda. ""Cyber Warfare: A Misrepresentation of the True Cyber Threat" by Troy E. Smith." June 4, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/cyber-warfare-a-misrepresentation-of-the-true-cyber-threat-by-troy-e-smith/.

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