THEIMPACTOFINFORMATION WARFAREINNIGERIA

AdedayoStephen

TheImpactofInformationWarfare

Overview
1. Introduction 2. Definitions 3. MilitaryViewofInformationWarfare 4. CivilianViewofInformationWarfare 5. ImpactofInformationWarfareonMilitary Sector 6. ImpactofInformationWarfareonPrivateSector 7. SecurityMeasures 8. CharacteristicofCyberWar 9. InterviewResult 10. Conclusion 11. References

TheImpactofInformationWarfare

1.0Introduction
Informationtechnologyhasbroughtalotchangestothewaywarfarearebeingwage

today,agreatnumberofthenationalinfrastructuresinthedevelopednationgreatly dependonIT.Theeconomic,social,political,educational,powerandotheractivities dependonit.Computersnowcontrolsmostofthecivilianandmilitaryinfrastructure, includingcommunication,powersystems,sewageregulation,andhealthcareandover twomillioncomputersarebeingusedbytheUSmilitary(Melnick,2007).Libicki(1995) stated,informationwarfareisamilitarywordwhichcanbecategorizedinto; psychologicalwarfare,intelligencebasedwarfare,electronicwarfare,cyberwarfare, commandandcontrolwarfare,economicinformationwarfareandhackerwarfare. Internetisnowaverypowerfultoolfortrade,nationalandfinancialdevelopment,itis thelargestcomputernetworkintheworldcomprisingofsmallernetworks,formingthe backbonefordatatransmissionacrossthewholeworldbecauseofthelevelofitsgreat redundancy.ThereliabilityoftheInternethasgeneratedasignificantriseinthe vulnerabilityofthenetwork(SecurityFocus,2008).Today,informationwarandcyber warcoverwideareaofconflicttypesrangingfromeconomic,social,political,andcivilian tomilitaryscopes.Cyberwarfareisgenerallyreferredtoastheuseofinformation technologydevicestowedgewarinacommunicationmedium.

TheImpactofInformationWarfare

1.0Introduction

(contd)

Cybercriminalsnowtargetsnationalinfrastructures,suchaspublic

healthsystem,transportation,emergencyservices,waterandsewage, energy,oilandgassystem,financeandbankingsystem,massmedia, andmilitarycommandandcontrol(Wik,2000).Ifcybercriminalsare abletosucceedintheirattacksbydisruptingorstoppingtheessential informationnetworksthen,anationaldisasterandeconomicloses. Theimpactoftheinformationwarfareanditsassociatedriskisvery highbasedontheincidentreportstoComputerEmergencyResponse TeamCoordinationCenter(CERT/CC)(CERTStatistics,2009). Pati(2007)stated,cybercrimeincidentsreportedcanbecategorizeas; casesinvolvingindividualslikeprovocationthroughemails,cyber stalking,slander,hacking,crackingandoffensivedisclosure.Cases corporateorganizationreportedarecomputerdamage,intruding, hacking,cracking,cyberterrorism,andvirusdissemination.
TheImpactofInformationWarfare 4

2.0Definitions
InformationWarfarehasmanydefinitions. Haeni(1997)defineIWas;Actionstakentoachieveinformationsuperioritybyaffectingadversary information,informationbasedprocesses,informationsystems,andcomputerbasednetworkswhile defendingone'sowninformation,informationbasedprocesses,informationsystems,andcomputer basednetworks. InformationwarfareisreferredtobyNunes(2001)astoperformthesametasksweusedtoperform butatamuchfasterratebyoccasionallyusingequipmentderivedfromoursocietystechnological evolution. Littleton(1995)inhisthesisstatedthatInformationbasedWarfareisanapproachtoarmedconflict focusingonthemanagementanduseofinformationinallitsformsandatalllevelstoachievea decisivemilitaryadvantageespeciallyinthejointandcombinedenvironment. Otherdefinitionusedinclude,Cyberwarreferstoconducting,andpreparingtoconduct,military operationsaccordingtoinformationrelatedprinciples.(Arquilla&Ronfeldt,1997) ThewordNetwarwasusedbyreferstoinformationrelatedconflictatagrandlevelbetweennations orsocieties(Arquilla&Ronfeldt,1997)

TheImpactofInformationWarfare

3.0TheMilitaryViewOf InformationWarfare.
Informationwarfareisreferredtoaswarwithout

armoredtank.A21stcenturycyberwarriorutilizes digitalequipments;helmetwithdigitaldisplayunit, nightvisionsensor,flatvideopanel,computersystem withchemicalandbombdetector,GlobalPositioning SystemGPS(Haeni,1997).Theintegratedwirelessand thethermalsightsystemallowseasytrackingofthe soldierinthebattlefield.Todaythemilitaryusesthe command,control,communication,computerand intelligenceusuallycalledC4Iininformationwarfare.

TheImpactofInformationWarfare 8

3.0TheMilitaryViewof InformationWarfare.(contd)
Softwarisanotherformofinformationwarfareusedby

themilitary;theaimistowrongfullyinformtheenemy withfalseormanipulatedinformation.Thesecouldbe infromoftelevisionbroadcastincombinationwith signaljamming(Haeni,1997).Cyberwarfareispossible withouttheloseoflivesorequipment(Kelsey,2008). Informationwarfareconsistofoffensive,defensiveand passivecomponents(DeVries,1997)

TheImpactofInformationWarfare

3.1OffensiveInformation Warfare
Thisisdefineastakingfullcontroloftheenemys information,computerandcontrolsystemsusing informationweapons.OffensiveWeaponsinclude: computervirus,logicbombs,worms,trajanhorses,back doors,trapdoors,chipping,electronicjamming,HERF guns,nanomachines,andmicrobes(Haeni,1997).The toolscanbeinformofsoftwarecodeorhardwaredevice withabilitytoperformdangerousoperation,whichcan causepartialortotalbreakdownoftheenemys computersystem,infrastructureornetworks.
TheImpactofInformationWarfare 10

3.2

DefensiveInformation Warfare

Themainsecuritymeasuresemployedindefensive

Informationwarfarearephysicalsecurity,electronics countermeasureandencryptionmethods.Hence protectingsystemavailabilityanddataconfidentiality areveryimportant.(Kaomea,n.d).Countermeasures usedinmoderndayInformationwarfareareintrusion detectorsystems,antivirussoftware,encryption, vulnerabilityscannersandsecurityanalysissoftware (Hrovat,2001).

TheImpactofInformationWarfare

11

3.3PassiveInformationWarfare
Passiveweaponsareharmless,consistingofsurveillance

equipmentusedininformationwarfare,anexampleis duringthebuildingoftheU.S.EmbassyinMoscowin the1980s,whentheSovietworkersburiedthousandsof electronicdiodesintotheconcreteslabsforthepurpose ofsecretsurveillance.Thisweaponrydoesnotleave anytraceorharmfuleffectonthevictims.(Schwartau, 1996)

TheImpactofInformationWarfare

12

3.4InformationWeaponries
"Avirusisacodefragmentthatcopiesitselfintoa

largerprogram,modifyingthatprogram.Avirus executesonlywhenitshostprogrambeginstorun. Thevirusthenreplicatesitself,infectingother programsasitreproduces."(Russell&Gangemi,2006) "Awormisanindependentprogram.Itreproducesby copyingitselfinfullblownfashionfromonecomputer toanother,usuallyoveranetwork.Unlikeavirus,it usuallydoesn'tmodifyotherprograms."(Russell& Gangemi,2006)

TheImpactofInformationWarfare

13

3.4InformationWeaponries (contd)
"ATrojanhorseisacodefragmentthathidesinsidea

programandperformsadisguisedfunction.It'sa popularmechanismfordisguisingavirusoraworm" (Russell&Gangemi,2006) "AbombisatypeofTrojanhorse,usedtoreleasea virus,awormorsomeothersystemattack.It'seitheran independentprogramorapieceofcodethat'sbeen plantedbyasystemdeveloperorprogrammer."(Russell &Gangemi,2006) Surveillancesystem,satellitessystems,Signalsand HumanIntelligence(C4ISRandIW,n.d) TheImpactofInformationWarfare 14

3.4InformationWeaponries (contd)
"Atrapdoor,orabackdoor,isamechanismthat'sbuilt

intoasystembyitsdesigner.Thefunctionofatrapdoor istogivethedesignerawaytosneakbackintothe system,circumventingnormalsystemprotection." (Russell&Gangemi,2006) Chippingisaprocessofimplantingtinyelectronicschip intohardwaretoperformanunexpectedfunctionbythe manufacturer.Thefunctionincludesendingradiosignal toaspecificlocation,totalbreakdownandunexpected performancewhenremotelytriggeredbyaspecific frequencysignal(Haeni,1997).
TheImpactofInformationWarfare 15

3.4InformationWeaponries (contd)
NanomachineandMicrobes;thisarespecialbredof

microorganismandtinyrobotswithabilitytodestroy integratedcircuits,computersystem,buildingsor completelyshutdownsystems(Haeni,1997). Electronicjammingareusedtodestruct communicationsignalsorovershadowsignalwith incorrectinformationtodeceivetheaudience(Haeni, 1997). HighEnergyRadioFrequency(HERF)gunand ElectroMagneticPulse(EMP)bombareusedto shutdownelectronicdevicesorcompletelydestroyit (Haeni,1997).
TheImpactofInformationWarfare 16

4.0CivilianviewofInformation Warfare
Withtheintroductionofinformationand

communicationtechnology(ICT)resultinginhigh securityriskalongthetransmissionmedia,various securitymeasuresarebeingtakenbyindividualand industriestoreduceinformationrisks.Today,the confidentiality,integrityandavailabilityofdataareso importanttotheITsystem.TheComputerSecurity Institutereportedthatin2007,encryptionwasused71% oforganizationtosenddatainformationwhile53%uses varioustypesofencryptiontheirdatastorage (Richardson,2008).
TheImpactofInformationWarfare 17

4.1EncryptionPrograms
Currently,varioustypesofencryptionprogramsare

beingdesignandusedtotransmitinformationsecurely ontheinformationsuperhighwaysbythecivilians. Therapidrateofdevelopmentofencryptionnow supporttheuserofstrong,powerfulencryptionto protectprivate,publiccommunicationsnetworkand theirdatastorage.Therearenowbetterproducts offering128bitand256bitencryptionsmakingthe illegalandunauthorizeddecryptionoftransmitted informationmoredifficult(Littleton,1995).

TheImpactofInformationWarfare 18

4.2SecureDigital Communication
Moderntechnologyindigitalcommunicationhas

broughtalotofimprovementininformationinterms encryptionasawayofreducingsecurityrisk.Thenew communicationutilizeddigitalsignatures,thereby preventingunauthorizedinterception,preservingthe confidentialityandintegrityofdata(Littleton,1995). Randomencryptionisusedeachtimethephoneisused makingguessingtherightkeytodecryptthesignal difficult(Littleton,1995).

TheImpactofInformationWarfare 19

4.3EMVChipCard
Thereplacementofmagneticstripesmartcardbythe

EMVchipcard,ErastusAkingbola,formergroupchief executiveofaNigerianbank,said "WearemigratingourMasterCardtoEMVChipand Pincompliance,andareinstallingseveralautomated processesforcardandPindistributionthatareefficient andsecure.Ofcourseourcardswillprovide100per centtransactionapprovalrates.Itisamultichannel basedcardfortransactionsviaATM,POSterminals, Kiosk(Peters,2009).

TheImpactofInformationWarfare 20

4.4RedundantManagement Systems
Inattempttoreducesecurityrisk,theuseofredundant

managementsystemsisemployedaswayofquick recoveryfrominformationsecurityattacks(Littleton, 1995).Redundancyisdefinedastheabilityofcertain componentsofasystemtoassumefunctionsoffailed componentswithoutadverselyaffectingthe performanceofthesystemitself(Matalus&Fiering, 1977).Buildingofredundancyincommunicationpath andbackingupofallinformationsystemsresourcesis beingusedbycooperateorganizationtomitigateriskof systemfailuresinceitisraretoattackallthesystemsat atime. TheImpactofInformationWarfare 21

5.0ImpactofInformation WarfareonMilitarySector
Onethemajorresponsibilityistotowinthe

informationwarstated,intheNationalMilitary strategyoftheUnitedStatesofFebruary1995(DeVries, 1997). Themilitarypowerandnationaleconomydepends greatlyonlythenationalinformationinfrastructures duetoitsautomatedandnetworkdependantnature. Asaresult,thenationalinformationinfrastructuresis thecentreofallinformationwarfareattackandit dependslargelyonelectricpower,computersand telecommunication(Wik,2000).
TheImpactofInformationWarfare 22

5.0ImpactofInformation WarfareonMilitarySectorContd
Theimpactofinformationarecanbegroupedintothree

parts:Organizational,DoctrineandOperation. (Hawkin, 1997) IWhasbroughtnewidealthathelpstheinvestigationand explorationofnewoperationalandorganizationalconcept inthemilitary. (Hawkin, 1997) IWhelpstoreduceloses,casualtiesandworkinggroupsto asmallerrate. (Hawkin, 1997) IWspeedsupoperationwhilecommandandcontrolis worsen.Withlesstimeandwidebattlespace,resultscan beeasyexamined. (Hawkin, 1997)

TheImpactofInformationWarfare

23

COMPUTERS
Media Transport Waterand sewage Emergencyservices

Financeandbanking Industrialproduction Publichealthandsafety Energy,oil,andgascontrol Othergovernmentaloperations ELECTRIC POWER Militarycommandandcontrolsystems NationalInformationInfrastructures

TheImpactofInformationWarfare 24

TELECOM

6.0ImpactofInformation WarfareonPrivateSector
Theworldtodayhadmovedfromagrariantoindustrialandfinallyto

informationwave.Themostindustrialnationseconomygreatly dependsoninformationtechnology(Knapp&Boulton,2006). Computersnowcontroltheelectricpower,telecommunication systems,aviationsystemsandthefinancialsector.Medical,business, criminalandothervitarecordsarenowstoredonthecomputer systems(NationalResearchCouncil,1991). FormalPresidentBush(2003)stated

By2003,oureconomyandnationalsecuritybecamefullydependentupon ITandtheinformationinfrastructure.Anetworkofnetworksdirectly supportstheoperationofallsectorsofoureconomy,energy, transportation,financeandbanking,informationand telecommunications,publichealth,emergencyservices,water,medical, defenseindustrialbase,food,agriculture,andpostalandshipping.

TheImpactofInformationWarfare 25

6.0ImpactofInformation WarfareonPrivateSectorcontd
Since1994,whenhackersattacksmilitary,civilianand

governmentorganizationsthroughtheGriffissAirForcebase computers.Themajortargetofcyberterroristhavebeingonthe civilianfirms,commercialfirmsandinfrastructures. (Strassmann,2001). InanattempttoavoiddirectmilitaryconflictwiththeU.S forces.Today,privatesectorandciviliansarenowthemajorfocus ofinformationwarfare(Adams,2001). Corporateespionagerateisrapidlyincreasingduetothecurrent corporatecompetition,moderndevelopmentinITand miniaturizationofdigitaldevicesandopeningofinternal networkwhichmakemoreinformationavailableforboththe workersandvendors(Knapp&Boulton,2006).
TheImpactofInformationWarfare 26

7.0SecurityMeasures
Protectivemeasureusedbyciviliansecuritypractitioners

areredundancy,alternativeprocedureandemergency plans(Wik,2000). Implementingsecuritypolicyandguidelines,proper allocationofallresourcesandtraining(Wik,2000). Accesscontrolthroughtheinstallationofintrusion detector,vulnerabilityscanners,firewallsystemsand networksecurityanalyzer(Hrovat,2001). Informationconfidentiality,integrityandavailability measurethroughuserauthentication,encryption,and installationofantivirusandInternetsecuritysoftware. (Uchida,Sugano,&Andou,2006).
TheImpactofInformationWarfare 27

7.1VulnerabilityScanners/Tools
Someoftheinformationweaponriesusedbythemilitaryandciviliansecurity
practitionerstoacquireknowledgeabouttheirorganizationalstrategiesand plansandsecuritymeasurestoreduceinformationrisksare: NetworkVisualisation,MonitorsandSnifferssoftwares.LikeVisio,NetViz, NetPartitioner,NeoTrace,TraceRoute,Ethload,NetXray,Etherpeak, TCPDump,Snoop,IPWatcher,TsightandScott/Tkined VulnerabilityAnalysissoftware.LikeISSInternetScanner,KaneSecurity Analyst,TridentIPToolbox/L3Expert,SecurityProfileInspector(SPI),SNI BallistaandSATAN Intrusiondetectionsoftware.LikeRealSecure,NetRanger,Stalker/CyberCop, IntruderAlert,NetworkFlightRecorder,SHADOWandNIDS Exploitationsoftware.LikeNTSecurity,RootShell,OfflineNTPasswordUtility, LophtHeavyIndustries,AntiOnline,Insecure/Fyodor,TCPwrappers, Tripwire,COPS,crack,LophtCrackandScanNT
TheImpactofInformationWarfare 28

8.0CharacteristicsofCyberwar

TargetexitinCyberspacewithrealimpact Telecommunication ComputerNetwork ControlNetwork Weapons MaliciousSoftware EMPWeapons Datamanipulationanddestruction Techniques Virtualdestructionoftargetinthecyberspace Disablingofsystemsoftware Overwhelmingofcontrolsystem Capitalrequiredissmallforlargeimpact PhysicalriskassociatedisLowforthecybercriminal Roleofmediaismoderate Legalfactorareilldefined Physicalpresencenotrequiredforsuccessfulattack(boundaryless) Attackcanhaveanyeffectsfocusedordiffused Treatcreatedareinthevirtualandphysical

TheImpactofInformationWarfare 29

InterviewQuestionandResult

Theinterviewconductedshowsthatmostpeopleinthedevelopingcountriesarecompletelyignorant ofinformationwarfareandcyberwar.IinterviewedtwomilitaryofficialsfromNigerianDefense AcademyKadunaandNigerianWarCollegeAbujawhobothclaimedtobeunawareoftheterm informationwarfare.Also,fromtheinterviewconducteditshowsthatmostoftheciviliansand militaryofficialsinterviewedclaimedtobecompletelyignorantofinformationwarfareandcyber warfare.AllthepeopleIinterviewedclaimedtohavenoideaofinformationandcyberwarfare. Someofthequestionaskedboththecivilianandmilitarysecuritypractitionersare;

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Whatisinformationwarfare Whataretheinformationsecuritymeasuresusedinyourorganization? Whatarethecausesofinformationsecurityfailuresinyourorganization? Whataretheinformationwarfaresecuritymeasuresimplementedinyourorganizationalplanningand strategic? HowwillyouassestheeffectivenessoftheinformationsecuritymeasureusedIyourorganization? Evaluatethestateofinformationsecuritymeasuresinyourorganization?

Sincealotofthepeoplearoundmeseemnottobeawareofthisnewtopicduetothelowtechnological developmentofthedevelopingcountries.WhichBrazzoli(2007)referstothisasthelowAfrican technologyscenarioandmaybeintheyear2020thefirstAfricancountrywillwaketoinformation warfarecapability.Itiscompletelydifficultformetocompletethisassignmentwithanyinterviewresult because100%ofthepeopleinterviewedclaimedtohavenoideaofinformationandcyberwarfare.

TheImpactofInformationWarfare 30

Conclusion
Theincreasingoverdependencyofoureconomyand

infrastructuresonITsystemcreatedahighlevelof securityrisksresultingfrominexpensivecostofcyber attacksisofgreatconcernstoboththepublic,private andmilitarysectors.Informationwarfareisatwo edgedsword,acountrycapableofwagingIWisalso veryvulnerability.Currently,securitytreataremore thatthesolutionwehaveandthecostofpreventing informationwarfareisfarbeyondthecostofthe attack.Itisthereforenecessaryfomthegovernment andagencyinvolvedtobemorecommittedand effective. TheImpactofInformationWarfare

31

References
Adams,J.(2001).VirtualDefense.RetrievedfromForeignAffairs:http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/57037/jamesadams/virtualdefense Arquilla,J.&Ronfeldt,D.(1997).Retrievedfromhttp://www.rand.org/pubs/reprints/2007/RAND_RP223.pdf Brazzoli,S.M.(2007).Futureprospectsofinformationwarfareandparticularlypsychologicaloperations..Retrievedfrom http://www.iss.org.za/uploads/SA2020CHAP13.PDF Bush,G.W.(2003).NationalStrategytoSecureCyberspace.Retrievedfromhttp://www.whitehouse. C4ISRandInformationWarfare.NavalWeaponsSystems.(n.d).Retrievedfrom http://www.owlnet.rice.edu/~nava201/presentations/Lecture19.ppt DeVries,A.(1997).InformationWarfareandItsImpactonNationalSecurity(U).Retrievedfromhttp://www.dtic.mil/cgi bin/GetTRDoc?Location=U2&doc=GetTRDoc.pdf&AD=ADA325003 Haeni,R.E.(1997).InformationWarfareanIntroduction.Retrievedfromhttp://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/infowar.pdf Hrovat,E.(2001).InformationWarfare:TheUnconventional ArtInADigitalWorld.Retrievedfrom http://www.sans.org/reading_room/whitepapers/warfare/informationwarfareunconventionalartdigitalworld_787 Kaomea,P.(n.d.).BeyondSecurity:ADataQualityPerspectiveonDefensiveInformationWarfare.Retrievedfrom http://mitiq.mit.edu/iciq/Documents/IQ%20Conference%201996/Keynote%20and%20Lunch%20Speeches/Beyond%20Security.pdf Kelsey,J.T.(2008).HackingintoInternationalHumanitarianLaw:ThePrinciplesofDistinctionandNeutralityintheAgeofCyberWarfare. Retrievedfromhttp://proxy1.ncu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bsh&AN=32010233&site=ehost live

TheImpactofInformationWarfare

32

Knapp,K.J.,&Boulton,W.R.(2006).CyberwarfareThreatensCorporations:ExpansionintoCommercialEnvironments.Information SystemsManagement.Retrievedfrom http://proxy1.ncu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bsh&AN=20025701&site=ehostlive Melnick,J.(2007).ThecyberwaragainsttheUnitedStates.Retrievedfrom http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2007/08/19/the_cyberwar_against_the_united_states/ Nunes,P.F.(2001).TheImpactofNewTechnologiesintheMilitaryArena:InformationWarfare.Retrievedfrom http://www.iwar.org.uk/iwar/resources/technology/nunes.htm Peters,D.(2009).IntercontinentalReplacesATMCardswithVerveChip.Retrievedfrom http://businessworldng.com/web/articles/79/1/IntercontinentalReplacesATMCardswithVerveChip/Page1.html ResearchCouncilNational.(1991).ComputersatRisk.WashingtonD.C:NationalAcademyPress. SecurityFocus.(2008).Retrievedfromhttp://www.securityfocus.com/glossary/I Strassmann,P.A.(2001).GovernmentShouldBlazeGlobalInformationWarfareTrails..Retrievedfromhttp://www.strassmann. com/pubs/searchsecurity/20018.php. Thom,M.(n.d).InformationWarfareCapabilitiesandPolicyIssues.Retrievedfrom http://www2.fiu.edu/~apodaca/Information%20Warfare%20Lecture.ppt Uchida,K.Sugano,N.&Andou,S.(2006).InformationSecuritySolutions.Retrievedfrom http://www.fujitsu.com/downloads/MAG/vol432/paper04.pdf Wik,M.W.(2000).RevolutioninInformationAffairs:TacticalandStrategicImplicationsofInformationWarfareandInformation Operations.Retrievedfromhttp://ics.leeds.ac.uk/papers/pmt/exhibits/812/wik.pdf

TheImpactofInformationWarfare 33

THANKYOU
TheImpactofInformationWarfare 34