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Watch the videos on Stuxnet, and the Lateline documentary then read the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) paper on the Cyber Security Landscape and finally the AFR discussion of Australia’s development of cyber offensive capabilities.
Please answer the following questions:
Do you think that a physical military response
is justified in response to a cyber attack?
Are lethal cyber weapons, such as turning off
the water supply or electricity, which can fatally affect civilian populations,
a legitimate strategy during wartime?
The DSTO identifies increasing digitization,
increasing complexity, increasing outsourcing, lagging security posture, and
increasing interconnectedness as vulnerabilities in Australia’s ICT
infrastructure. Suggest strategies that the government can use to address these
vulnerabilities.
Cyber
Warfare
Student’s
Name
Institutional
Affiliation
Cyber Warfare
Introduction
Cyber-attacks entail the aggressive practices that
compromise processor grids, protocol systems, online structures, and information
schemes. Over the years, the number of these occurrences has increased
two-fold, resulting in the enhancement of the Australian protective ICT
infrastructure capabilities. The upsurge in cyber warfare leads to an
examination of the justification of military response to cyber-attacks, the
legitimacy of cyber weapons, and how the Australian government can address the
susceptibility of its information systems to hacking.
Justification
of Military Response to Cyber-attacks
It is justified for the Australian
military personnel to react appropriately to cyber-attacks that threaten
national security from foreign agents. For example, if cybercriminals illegally
acquire information on government and defense contracts, then the government is
vindicated to enlist the service of military personnel. Hackers focus on
crippling essential national systems, causing destruction of property and
hampering the delivery of services to the people. KWH369 Documentaries (2018) recognizes
that cyber warfare leads to ramifications that compare to the effects of
kinetic assaults; as a result, government authorities should acknowledge it as
armed attacks. In line with the UN Charter, Australia can defend itself against
aggressive practices in cyberspace through various provisions that include the
use of military action. In most cases, cyber-attacks originate from foreign
sources, forcing the authorities to deploy military services to protect from
external threats.
The
Legitimacy of Cyber Weapons During War
The ethical utilization of cyber weapons questions the use strategies such as turning off the water supply or electricity since they affect civilian populations. The acceptable cyberspace weaponry includes employing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as they have minimal effects on the lives of non-combatants. In the Australian Financial Review, Abernethy (2018) reveals that moral codes require military personnel to use artillery systems that preserve the quality of life of civilians. As a consequence, warfare tactics that entail crippling the national power grid contravenes the ethical obligations of war under the principles of jus ad bellum and jus in bello. It is wrong for military commanders to use cyberspace tactics that can jeopardize the lives of civilian populations given that other...
