Cyber-Terrorism and China
Abstract
This thesis assesses the possibility of a cyberterrorism attack by China and explores how such an attack could affect the United States' military and U.S. civilian infrastructure. In today's society, nations continue to embrace the use of computers and technology, which has resulted in weaknesses that can be exploited through cyberterrorism. All computer systems from the personal computer to corporate banking systems to government and military systems are vulnerable to attack. However, the cyberterrorist targets that could most affect a nation like the United States are the SCADA systems that control critical infrastructures. A terrorist organization may not have the ability to attack the United States directly through conventional weapons, but it could severely cripple the nation by disabling SCADA systems. Cyberattacks also are potent tools for intelligence gathering and could be a force multiplier in military operations as a strategic weapon. This paper will use China and its cyberwarfare capabilities to illustrate the issues and concerns regarding cyberterrorism. The next war may not be one in which actual armies join to fight each other in battle; rather, it may be a war in which people using computers could defeat a superpower. The author concludes that cyberwarfare is the battleground of the future and must be taken seriously. This form of warfare could certainly have a much greater affect on the United States than any other form of war previously fought. There must be a concerted effort to update current infrastructure and to train the U.S. military in methods of fighting this new form of warfare. When evaluating the threat to the United States concerning cyberwarfare, the greatest threat may not be to the U.S. military or its warfighting capabilities, but to the United States' civilian infrastructure and its survival as a superpower.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 29, 2008
- Accession Number
- ADA490725
Entities
People
- Lonnie Pope
Organizations
- Marine Corps University