Cyberwar: The invisible weapons of cyberattacks

DW (English)

Wars are fought both openly and in the shadows—especially in cyberspace. Cyberattacks can seriously affect civilians and influence politics. They’re anything but harmless.

Transcript

00:00Cyberattacks on critical infrastructure, political influence via social media, the spread of

00:06deepfakes.

00:07The war in cyberspace is in full swing, but for many, it's difficult to grasp.

00:13There isn't really a definition for cyberwar.

00:18Essentially it's information technology used to harm other countries, be it politically

00:24or militarily.

00:25The soldiers of cyberwar are hackers, working on behalf of states, companies or secret services.

00:32The old lone wolf stereotype still lingers, but today, teams of hackers work in professional

00:37environments.

00:38Today, the industry has been professionalized with these hacker mercenaries.

00:44That has to be noted.

00:46A lot has changed in terms of what is being paid, how many people are employed, which are

00:51the key countries.

00:53The market has grown.

00:54The significance of cyberwarfare is growing as we become more dependent on digital technology.

01:04A cyberattack on a hospital can disrupt care.

01:10Hacking a power plant's control system could cause power outages.

01:14Protecting critical infrastructure is a huge task that involves us all.

01:19So many countries are creating new units to shore up their defenses.

01:25In Germany, the Bundeswehr's fourth branch is dedicated to the realm of cyberspace.

01:31The challenge for society as a whole is that in cyberspace, we no longer see conflicts as traditional

01:40military versus military.

01:41Instead, how can we prepare society as a whole?

01:48The use of AI makes cyberdefense all the more difficult.

01:53But it can also help detect phishing attacks or espionage.

01:57In conventional wars, belligerents are typically identifiable.

02:01But in cyberspace, it's a different matter.

02:06The who did it and how do we find them is much more difficult.

02:11Civilians and critical infrastructure.

02:14The protection of cyberspace is quickly becoming a top priority for national security.

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