Cyberwarfare and Espionage: when the physical battle goes digital

Everything seemed to be alright. After months of extensive research and reconnaissance work, Thunder, who commanded a special military operations team, was convinced that his team had found the headquarters of one of the world's most dangerous terrorist groups. He devised a foolproof strategy to ambush his targets and was excited imagining the congratulations he would receive for yet another outstanding job. Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned.

This time, the military was not dealing with ordinary terrorists. The extremists had their own team of elite cybercriminals and, unknowingly, Thunder — and his entire squad — was being digitally spied on. Their email accounts were compromised, as were the rest of their supposedly secure methods of communication. On the big day, the tables turned: it was the criminals who set up an ambush against the military, as they already knew exactly how they would respond.

The former commander thought he was lucky: he escaped from the trap alive but lost his hand and part of his arm during the armed conflict. In compensation, the government he served offered him the chance of participating in an experimental program, in which a futuristic prosthesis would be implanted that had several functionalities – including the capacity to detect false news and phishing scams. Discharged from the corporation, Thunder decided to use his new gifts to teach people about the risks of online threats and soon he was invited by Lenda to join Hackers Rangers.

Between the physical and the digital

Cyberwarfare is not something you only see in a science fiction movie: it is a harsh reality. Most countries already have, in their military forces, a specific department for operations in the digital world. These “cyber armies” specialize in defensive and, above all, offensive security, compromising the networks of rival nations and spying on secrets to gain an advantage on the battlefield, just as what happened with Thunder. Paramilitary groups, militias and terrorists adopt the same strategy.

Armies are modernizing and relying more and more on technology. This includes the use of drones (unmanned aerial vehicles) and other remotely controlled weapons. These innovations take people off the front lines, but no system is free from vulnerabilities; therefore, the potential compromising of these infrastructures has become a growing concern.

The problem is so serious that the US Army periodically organizes Hack the Army, a competition that gathers ethical hackers and challenges them to find flaws in the military computer systems. The most recent edition of Hack the Army took place in 2020 and, over a five week period, 52 participants detected no less than 146 vulnerabilities in domains linked to military personnel. The US government rewarded researchers a total of US$275,000, and the specialist who found the most serious breach earned US$20,000.

Sad reality

If you think this initiative is overly preventive, be aware that in 2015, the US Army had to take down one of its systems after identifying an invasion by the Syrian Electronic Army. The US government also accuses China of constantly spying on its military operations, in addition to stealing the intellectual property of weapons and vehicles for its own use.

“Cyber espionage is no joke. If this type of activity can be dangerous when used against civilians, the damage is even greater in attacks against the military. Armies need to prepare for this new era of cyber combat and to strengthen their protection strategies — which includes, of course, the implementation of programs to raise awareness”, explains Thunder.

Let's take an X-RAY of the amazing Thunder?

• Thunder is 35 years old and loves Italian food, voice commanded gadgets, and all types of fun fact videos.

• He is a very serious, responsible, and disciplined superhero but, in his spare time, he loves playing video games with his friends.

• Thunder hates the heat, messes, and impatience.

• His specialty is detecting phishing and fake news.

— "Geniality is effort." (Thunder, Hacker Rangers)

Article translated from: Ciberguerra e espionagem: quando a batalha física se torna digital — Perallis Security