Inside Cyber Battlefields, the Newest Domain of War

In his Black Hat Asia keynote, Mikko Hypponen explored implications of the next arms race and why cyber will present challenges never before seen in warfare.

BLACK HAT ASIA 2019 – Singapore –The nature of war has moved across land, sea, air, and space. Now we find ourselves in the cyber domain, where a new arms race will challenge defenders as adversaries adopt new tools, technologies, and techniques.
Mikko Hypponen, chief research officer at F-Secure, today took the stage at Black Hat Asia to discuss the implications of cyber warfare and how it will present challenges not seen before. The nuclear arms race, which he noted lasted about 60 years, is behind us. Todays conflicts unfold differently; as a result, we have different domains for different types of fighting.
Technology has changed where wars are fought, Hypponen explained in an interview with Dark Reading. When the Internet was first built, he continued, geographical lines didnt seem to exist. It seemed a kind of borderless utopia where cross-country collaboration may be possible. Now, as we know, times have changed, andwars are now fought online.
Just as the domain of war has changed, so, too, have tools used in battle. Were no longer as worried about nuclear weapons as we were 20 years ago, Hypponen said. Nuclear weapons, only used twice in human history, are built on the power of deterrence. You know who has nuclear weapons and avoid conflict with them because of this power. The number of traditional weapons fighter jets, bombers, and aircraft carriers in each country can be learned via Google.
We know exactly how many tanks the Russians have. We know exactly how many aircraft carriers the US has, Hypponen explained, pointing to a screenshot of this information found online.
Digital weapons are poor in creating deterrence because nobody knows who has which tools. They are effective, affordable, and deniable – a dangerous combination of traits. There are very few weapons that have deniability, Hypponen emphasized. Cyber weapons have that.
Its one of many qualities that make digital weapons particularly nefarious. Like guns and cannons of the past, cyber weapons also rot over time. The problem is, theres no way of knowing when their expiration dates will arrive. Offensive toolkits used in the military include exploits targeting vulnerabilities that security researchers are constantly hunting and patching.
Because they dont know how long their tools will be viable, militaries have no guarantee their investment in digital weapons will yield an ROI. This creates a scenario in which its likely those attacks will end up being used so they can justify the cost of building them, Hypponen added.
Nation-States vs. Cybercriminals: Defensive Tactics
Todays government cyberattacks are predominantly for spying and espionage, and Hypponen noted the importance of distinguishing between spying and warfare. Most cybercriminals are after money. If a cybercriminal targets your organization, chances are theyre not particularly interested in the business itself. Theyre looking for quick, easy cash.
Businesses dont need advanced defenses to keep cybercrime at bay, Hypponen explained. If someone is seeking money and their target makes it difficult or expensive, theyll move on to a victim with weaker defenses. The Internet is a garden of low-handed fruit, Hypponen added.
Nation-states are different. They wont change their mindset or swap targets. Theyre following orders to break into a specific organization and steal data. Theyll keep at it until they succeed.
There are ways of fighting back, he continued. When an attacker creates unique Trojans or backdoors, for example, you can use those to detect them by reputation. Hypponen also advises companies to avoid building defenses like a fortress. High walls wont prevent attackers from getting in – and the larger a network is, the more likely it will be breached.
Knowing your outside defenses will fail should change security experts mindset. Instead of focusing on the perimeter, focus on whats inside the network. Youre more likely to spot intruders early, which will help your ability to detect attacks and respond faster.
What Comes After Cyber?
I believe we are in the very beginning of the cyber arms race, Hypponen said. Still, he added, its important to remember this isnt where it ends; there will be new domains. While its hard to imagine what comes after cyber, mankind will never stop fighting. New conflicts will emerge.
Robotics and drones come to mind, he continued. Both already exist; however, ethics pose a challenge in development. We dont like the idea of machines deciding who is killed, Hypponen explained, but different forces are driving us to war in a world where machines will kill on their own. Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, both modern buzzwords in cyberspace, have potential to drive this.
We still have to define what we mean by AI and machine learning, he continued. We also have to be very, very careful about where technology companies draw the line as they race to build genuine AI. This concerns Hypponen in the rush to AI development.
When youre in a race, what you dont do is stop and look around and make sure youre doing everything carefully, he pointed out.
Hypponen said he anticipates well see machine learning in real-world cyberattacks as the barrier to entry lowers. Today, you have to be a computer science gradute to deploy a machine learning system. But in 10 years, or five years, these systems will be so easy to deploy that anyone could do it – and they will. The lack of skill protects us now; it wont protect us much longer.

Join Dark Reading LIVE for two cybersecurity summits at Interop 2019. Learn from the industrys most knowledgeable IT security experts. Check out the
Interop agenda
here.

Last News
▸ ArcSight prepares for future at user conference post HP acquisition. ◂ Discovered: 07/01/2025 Category: security	▸ Samsung Epic 4G: First To Use Media Hub ◂ Discovered: 07/01/2025 Category: security	▸ Many third-party software fails security tests ◂ Discovered: 07/01/2025 Category: security

**Cyber Security Categories**
Google Dorks Database	Exploits Vulnerability	Exploit Shellcodes

CVE List

Tools/Apps

News/Aarticles

Phishing Database

Deepfake Detection

Trends/Statistics & Live Infos

Tags:
Inside Cyber Battlefields, the Newest Domain of War