Information Warfare on an Evolving Battlefield

The nature of warfare is a constant evolution. Since the end of the Second World War, the medieval construct of opposing nation-state actors facing each other in open battle has effectively become obsolete. The balance of power established during the cold war characterized warfare’s evolution as increasingly asymmetrical. The looming threat of mutually assured destruction gave rise to proxy-wars and covert actions. The terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001 were a testament to this progression. As such, warfare in the 21st century can be described as a multi-dimensional amalgam including elements of global economics, the mass media, and terrorism. Intelligence, both human and signals based, has always played a central role in warfare. Due to the exponential growth of technology in recent decades, the tools of war have developed rapidly. Nearly all facets of modern warfare in the information age are now supported by the use of computers and the Internet. Whether motivated by politics, ideology, or monetary gain, criminals, spies, and terrorists all utilize computer based attacks. This work presents an analysis of emerging computer based threats in an effort to address the ongoing problem of securing our national digital infrastructure. Specifically, the case study presented will focus on the Stuxnet worm, which was arguably the first cyber-weapon to inflict significant kinetic damage. This study will examine Stuxnet, the Iranian nuclear program, and the potential that exists for similar threats to industrial control systems within the United States.