GQ South Africa — May 2017

DIGITAL ARMS RACE

WORLD

WAR 3.0

SO FAR

Cyberattacks have created

an invisible war zone

across the globe

Words by Kim Zetter

EVERY MONTH, IT SEEMS
a mammoth cyberattack sponsored by
a nation state comes to light. In recent
years, more than 20 countries have
announced their intent to launch or beef
up their of ensive cyber capabilities.
h e result is a burgeoning digital arms
race that presents a major threat to the
security of our data.
Here’s a look at the countries that have
garnered the most headlines during the
past few years and a comparison of how
their cyber-of ensive capabilities stack up.
Our assessment is, of course, based only
on known attacks. Attribution is tricky.
It’s dii cult, forensically, to distinguish
nation-state attacks from those of
independent groups – even more so when
China and Russia use state hackers and
also pay freelancers when they gain
access to useful systems.
We’ve ranked a selection of attacks and
the players accused of launching them.
Amid the intrigue and mystery, one thing
is clear – the online world is becoming an
increasingly dangerous place.

2001-2017:Target: the world. Seriously, the

NSA’s reach appears to be limitless, according

to documents leaked by Edward Snowden,

which describe a vast hacking operation aimed

at subverting the internet’s infrastructure.

OUTCOME: Global paranoia and a subsequent

reduction in security for all.

2007: The US launched the Stuxnet worm

against Iran to sabotage that country’s nuclear

programme. OUTCOME:Stuxnet succeeded in

briefl y setting back the Iranian nuclear programme.

The attack set a precedent for cyberwarfare:

countries now launch digital assaults to resolve

political disputes.

U N ITE D STATE S

SEVERITY:^1

2009-2013: The UK hacked Google’s and

Yahoo’s undersea cables to siphon

unencrypted traffi c. OUTCOME: According to

documents leaked by Snowden, the UK accessed

data through taps of undersea cables belonging

not just to these companies, but to major

telecoms, too.

2012: The UK’s Government Communications

Headquarters (GHHQ) hacked Belgacom to

monitor all mobile traffi c passing through its

routers. OUTCOME: Although the hack

successfully penetrated the network, the

telecom has never been clear about whether

the attackers intercepted customer traffi c.

UNITED KINGDOM

IRAN

2012: Iran allegedly launched a virus called

Shamoon against oil conglomerate Saudi

Aramco’s computers. US offi cials blame Iran for

the attack but have not produced evidence.

OUTCOME: Shamoon wiped 30 000 machines

and destroyed fi les, while preventing reboots.

2011-2012: Iran launched a series of

denial-of-service attacks on US banks.

Although Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Cyber Fighters

took responsibility, US offi cials claimed Iran

was retaliating for Stuxnet and UN sanctions.

OUTCOME: The attacks consumed resources

but no long-term damage was reported.

W

H

O

’ S

20 GQ.CO.ZA MAY 2017