MTE Explains What Exactly Is Cyber Warfare?

1. What is cyber warfare?
2. Why Cyber warfare is a serious problem?
3. How is cyber warfare different than conventional warfare?

What is cyber warfare?

Cyber warfare involves the actions by a nation-state or international organization to attack and attempt to damage another nation's computers or information networks through, for example, computer viruses or denial-of-service attacks.

Why Cyber warfare is a serious problem?

Cyberwarfare and the use of force

To reach this threshold, an attack on computer systems would have to lead to significant destruction or disruption, even loss of life. This is the significant threshold because under international law, countries are allowed to use force to defend themselves against an armed attack.

How is cyber warfare different than conventional warfare?

Cyber warfare could make conventional warfare systems that employ computers and electronics operationally ineffective or obsolete. A traditional system that cannot respond in "digital time" to a multi-pronged threat or that cannot provide protection while attacking others may be of little use in the future.