04-05-2017, 12:48 PM
Cyberwarfare involves the use and orientation of computers and networks in warfare. These are offensive and defensive operations related to the threat of cyber attacks, espionage and sabotage. There has been controversy over whether such operations can properly be called "war". However, nations have been developing their capabilities and have been involved in cyber warfare either as a delinquent, as a victim or as both.
Cyberwar has been defined as "the actions of a nation-state to penetrate into the computers or networks of another nation for the purpose of causing harm or disruption," but other definitions also include non-state actors such as terrorist groups, Groups, hacktivists and transnational criminal organizations.
Some governments have made it an integral part of their overall military strategy, with some having invested heavily in the capacity of cyberwar. Cyberwarfare is essentially a formalized form of penetration testing in which a government entity has established it as a combat capability.
This capability uses the same set of penetration testing methodologies, but applies them, in the case of United States doctrine, in a strategic way to
• Prevent cyber attacks against critical infrastructure
• Reduce national vulnerability to cyberattacks
• Minimize damage and recovery time from cyber attacks
Offensive operations are also part of these strategies at the national level for officially declared wars, as well as for undeclared secret operations.