Cyberwar is upon us, as it has already been used as a method for battle during the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. In the first 10 weeks of 2022 alone, over 150 cyberattacks were launched against Ukraine, disabling government websites and causing other countries to kickstart their defenses. The countries in the spotlight are Russia, Ukraine, and the US, as experts say that the war with Ukraine is likely serving as a live testing ground for the next generation of Russian cyber weapons.
The number of cyber attacks carried out globally has only increased overtime, which has led affected countries like the US to bolster their cyberdefenses, although reports say that cyberattacks are unlikely to stay within borders. Cyber war exposes the connections between digital and physical assets, which brings a greater risk to both network and physical infrastructure security. The pandemic has only heightened these risks due to the large increase in internet usage and other services now being provided digitally.
Cyber attacks are more isolated incidents that are devastating, but minor in comparison to cyber war, which causes massive disruption and can have effects comparable to those of a natural disaster. Almost 95% of Americans fear cyberwar against the US, but less than 20% are totally confident that the government can protect its citizens from it. Fortunately, the US has been widely regarded as the most prepared nation in the case of cyber warfare, keeping residents safe from attacks that target assets like financial services, business networks, and cell service.
Many Americans have already started taking measures to protect themselves from cyber warfare, putting into action methods like software updates, backing up documents, changing passwords, backing up emails offline, and securing all computers and mobile devices. The next generation of warfare is coming, further proving why citizens worldwide are taking action to protect themselves, their families, and their assets.
