Technology has shaped global development in ways that would have seemed like science fiction 50 years ago. In the 21st century, humans can connect with anyone, anywhere – at any point in time; whilst impressive, this rapid evolution poses a risk that can rewrite warfare with cyber attacks and how humans deal with large scale conflict.

It’s fair to assume the Internet was devised for entertainment, education, or to support the business sector; however, most of its innovation was born from military investment. Militaries are either directly or indirectly using the network technologies and exploiting cyberspace for intelligence and attack. The uncertainty of cyberattacks provides a strategic and tactical advantage in a politically tense environment where attackers can disrupt crucial data, infrastructure, or network services. 

Today we are witnessing increasingly aggressive tactics used in cyberspace where official government networks are being attacked to disrupt the democracy of an entire country.

The latest attack of Wiper Malware on the Ukrainian government websites amidst the Ukraine-Russia crisis, which had the intention of wiping out all the data of the infected system, is a live example that portrays the intrinsic capabilities of cyberwar. Such adverse cyber operations are born with the sole intention of destroying the entire system and crumbling the infrastructure. 

More and more often, a cyberattack on a country precedes a real-life “shooting war”. The aim is to cripple a nation’s supply and shut down the entire economic operations.

According to the White House, the most recent Ukraine attack has caused global damage of approximately $10 billion and condemned it as “the most destructive and costly cyberattack in history.”

Cyber Stakes for Australian Business

As Ukraine continues to fight against the Russian invasion, Prime Minister Scott Morrison underlined new guidelines for companies and urged them to enhance the cyber-security of their organisations. According to Morrison, “Malicious cyber activity could impact Australian organisations through unintended interruption or unmaintained cyber activities.”

The Federal Government has also outlined eight essential mitigation strategies for Australian businesses. These include

• application control
• patch applications
• configure Microsoft Office macro settings
• user application hardening
• restrict administrative privileges
• patch operating systems
• multi-factor authentication
• regular backups

In such uncertain times, Organisations need to anticipate and expect cyber-criminal activities. Cyber-attacks have the potential to not only directly impact business assets and infrastructure, but also disrupt and manipulate information

A Wake-Up Call for All

The Ukrainian cyber-attacks are a timely reminder for every business to commit to solid cybersecurity. Cybercrimes are estimated to cost businesses $6 trillion a year, including a significant loss in business intelligence, intellectual property, and brand reputation. Every day, private sectors suffer a substantial threat from Cyberespionage.

As technology grasps a more decisive stance year by year, cyber-threats will more frequent. Organisations must put in extra effort to chalk out well-advised security operations. Identifying potential threats and resources is now more crucial than ever.