Cyber hacking: A new form of warfare

By Anita Bhatt

Terror was so evident - scenes of devastation were truly horrific huge swelling clouds of smoke, towering building collapsing, screams and sirens renting the air as piercingly as the shrapnels that killed many what happened in New York and Washington cannot be expressed in words.

The 20th century saw the face of warfare being changed by mechanisation, aviation and communication, 21st century would see, with the help of evolving technologies, armed forces conducting cyber hacking right from first salvo.

Conventionally terrorism has been defined as the sub-state application of violence or threatened violence intended to sow panic in a society to weaken or even over throw he incumbents and to bring about political change over a period of time. Traditional terrorist tactics have, however, failed to bring lucrative results. Thus, the new breed of terrorists has started looking at the phenomenal advantage of the Information revolution and the networked system it offers for their kind of operation.

New Targets : The global diffusion and integration of IT have effectively moved many national assets into or created new ones inside the virtual world of computer networks. These assets vary from the wires, computers and other necessary telecommunication equipment to the information they contain to the capability for communication itself. As a consequence, they are vulnerable to a relatively new form of attack using IT enabled means.

By using cyberspace as a new conflict medium, terrorists can obviate the distance between themselves and their designated target. In the past, terrorists needed to be physically present for perpetrating of violence in target locations. In cyberspace, however, one node on the International computer network has nearly instantaneous access to any other. Exploiting this access a terrorist might be able to strike at targets thousands of miles away from his operational base without ever leaving it.

What is cyber Hacking ? The debate over definitions of cyber hacking rages fiercely. At one end is the truth that wars can be won without bloodshed by achieving ‘information dominance’. The prime cannon of military doctrine in knowledge-based is a deliberate attempt information world a deliberate attempt is made to gain access to tamper with and exploit, information and information systems of the adversary to own advantage; at the same time preventing him doing the same to own side. The electromagnetic spectrum would become the new ‘high ground’ to be captured for Success of operations, and battlefield interdiction would also include electronic isolation of a force.

Information world, as a constituent of combat power can also be exploited during peacetime, along the entire spectrum of conflict. It exploits the vast potential of technology, to derive benefits in excess of the sum total of individual components. The IT and IW environment signifies a synthesis of technology and human intelligence with force capability. IW contributes significantly to the areas of intelligence, surprise and deception, decision-making and adversary’s Psychological degradation.

Forms of warfare : Experts have identified seven distinct forms of warfare. These are as follows.

* Command and control warfare: which strikes against the enemy’s head and neck

* Economic lnfo war: to block and channel information to pursue economic dominance.

*Electronic warfare: radio, electronic techniques.

* Psychological warfare: Information used to change the minds of friends.

* Intelligence-based warfare: which consists of design, protection and denial of systems that seek sufficient knowledge to dominate the battle space.

* Cyber warfare: a grab - bag of futuristic scenarios.

* Hacker warfare: in which computer systems are attacked.

Thus, IW ‘actions taken to achieve information superiority by affecting adversary information, information - based processes, information system and computer-based networks, while leveging and depending on one’s own information. The aim of future wars will gravitate more towards psychological paralysis and less towards destruction of forces or capture of territory. Apart from seeking nuclear and conventional deterrence, the armed forces would strive to achieve "information deterrence" against likely or visualised adversaries.

Cyber Hacking by sub-state Groups : It involves physical damage to information infrastructure of the largest entity. The target entity may be a nation state, its government, the armed forces or its corporate sector. Ultimate goal is to effect political or societal change, then terrorists must seek to convince others, although typically targeted, their violence at symbolic or representative people, institutions and buildings, act of terrorism during the past two decades seems to hare become increasingly random.

The Gulf wars is widely accepted as a transitional point which contained elements of the past, ie., Industrial age warfare or the second form of warfare which stressed on mass destruction. The Gulf War demonstrated a number of high-tech weapon systems, surveillance and target acquisition and command and control systems. The aim was to disrupt or destroy Iraqi electronic systems by ‘frying’ the components of radar, electronic networks and computers. Thus, this kind of warfare, when fully developed, would be knowledge based-information age warfare characterised by manoeuvres rather than attrition.

Today's warfare has changed due to the advent of the Information Revolution. Software programmers employ a variety of techniques for inserting codes that at a later stage endanger the working of systems. A virus is a malicious software which attaches itself to legitimate piles and spreads out when piles or floppy disks are exchanged between computers. It could be termed as a software that infects software and causes it to infect other software. In extreme cases it may lead to hard disc drive destruction.

Also, though, interconnected communication and computer systems are vulnerable to intruism the intruder may gather information, data, mutilate, delete and subvert information flowing through the network. Hackers are skilled computer users who usually break into a system by exploiting the weakness of the network operating system. Hackers have a set of tools, basically software programmes, to facilitate their activities. However, there is an awareness that technological opportunities are growing.

A number of cases have came to light of criminals using hacking techniques to divert funds and extort many from companies.

Hackers scan the target systems for open ports, exploiting them for subversive activities. Open ports are programmes within an operating system that permit exchange of files, e-mail, facsimile etc. between computers networks.

Once they obtain root access, ie., access to the operating system, which gives them total control over the functioning of the computer system, they may delete, modify, subvert, mutilate, steal information or use the system as they like.

It is logical to device that a technological race in the form of acquiring soft kill weapon systems for the conduct of cyber-warfare is likely to ensue, since destruction of information infrastructure will cause considerable economic damage.

It is obvious that, at present, India and countries like the U.S.A., the UK, Germany and others, due to their a higher level of connectivity, have very little room for complacency. Their enemies could be anyone-the foreign national intelligence agencies, military organisations, industrial competitors, new-age terrorists, criminals or part -time hackers, when the greatest challenge is to break into the armed forces computer network systems and our economic base.

Thus, regarding the question whether hackers today will be the terrorists of tomorrow, one can only point to the fact that some hackers have been willing to act in concert to attack the telecommunications infrastructure and in so far as an infrastructure attack constitutes terrorism hacker terrorism has already occurred.

The message for us in loud and clear-decentralised digital power is essential for fighting terrorism in cyberspace. - CNF

(The writers is a scholar at the School of International Studies, JNU, New Delhi.)

How to give momentum to Indian economy?

By Umashankar Phadnis

The NDA Government has at last woken up to the realities of the situation and recognised the need for kick starting the economy with a big step up in "public investment and enabling also private investment to ride on the back of higher public investment". It has been decided that larger funds should be provided for the railways to implement programmes relating to track renewals and construction of bridges, while additional generating capacity for 1500 MW is to be created with an outlay of Rs. 6,000 crores. A sum of Rs. 2,500 crores will be spent on the construction of roadways in the current financial year.

The outstanding issues were discussed later threadbare at the meeting of the reconstituted Trade and Industry Council. A 14- point programme has been adumbrated, which aims at mobilisation of resources in various ways, utilisation also of the vast land resources owned by the Government, the railways and other departments for augmenting the pool of funds. In the next five years, the total outlays visualised is Rs. 75,000 crores on specified projects. In this manner, it is hoped that the deceleration in industrial growth noticed for the second year in succession and problems experienced by the industrial sector in raising output will be tackled. But there is no denying the fact that the emphasis has to be on implementing projects in the infrastructural sectors with the Government and entrepreneurs in the private sector coordinating their efforts.

The finances of the Central and State Governments are in bad shape, as the growth in tax revenues has not been on the targeted basis in the face of rising non-plan expenditure. While many States are having bulging deficits and feeling compelled to even prune Plan outlays, the Central Government, for its part, may have serious upsets in calculations about tax collections in the current financial year. Apart from the fact that the fiscal deficit had risen uncomfortably to Rs. 125,000 crores in 2000-01, there is the prospects of a further big rise under this head and it may not be surprising, if the fiscal deficit balloons to Rs. 135,000-Rs. 140,000 crores against the Budget estimate of Rs. 1,16,314 crores. The Cabinet Committee has been appointed for identifying projects that are capable of being implemented at a fast rate for securing quick results. It is also being speculated in industry and stock market circles whether an effort will be made by the Union Finance Minister to secure additional resources with the presentation of a Supplementary Budget. The Railways have already sought to gather Rs 6,000 crores in five years with the levy of cesses for passengers travelling in various classes.

However, any move to augment tax revenues by the Union Finance Ministry should not have a discouraging effect, as the automobile, cement, steel and other industries are already encountering difficulty in utilisaing their capacity and functioning on a reasonably remunerative basis. The representatives of the automobile industry have actually asked for special incentives for stepping up sales, while the producers of cement have suggested that projects for construction of cement concrete roads and the like should be taken up. There is no dearth of suggestions from various quarters. But the question is, as stated above, how to evolve a strategy for augmenting the pool of resources with the active functioning of the stock markets and increase in outlays by profitably functioning public sector enterprises like the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), Bharat Heavy Electricals (BHEL), Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Gas Authority of India (GAIL) and the like.

The slump in the stock markets is severe due to the jobbing operations of FIIs, scams of Unit Trust of India, financial institutions and select brokers besides the unhelpful attitude of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI). The BSE index has nosedived below 3000 mark. The losses sustained by mutual funds, small investors and others have to be recouped with the bourses staging a recovery with the new measures proposed to be adopted by the Union Finance Ministry.

It is probable that the Union Finance Minister may not be averse to an enlargement of the fiscal deficit for productive purposes though the preference is likely to be to aid the efficient public sector enterprises to obtain funds mainly through borrowing initially from the scheduled commercial banks (SCBs) and financial institutions. The former particularly is in a position to expand credit substantially on a lower interest basis with proper safeguards. A net decline in bank investments cannot be contempleted, as the Centre has to borrow more in the coming months, even if it succeeds in minimising its commitments by helping the public sector enterprises to secure their own resources. In this way, the demand for capital goods, steel, cement, commercial vehicles and other products, whose offtake has been not satisfactory, can be stimulated. But sustained progress can be ensured only if entrepreneurs in the private sector can get their resources in various forms with active functioning of secondary and primary markets.

The Securities and Exchange Board of India should relax restrictions on trading for genuine purposes by eliminating the rigours of rolling settlement system and the complete ban on badlas. The Union Finance Minister is aware of the importance of lively bourses even while effectively checking earlier malpractices with a close monitoring of speculative and manipulative transactions.

What is needed for the Indian economy at the present moment is a new deal from the lines adopted by the U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the Thirties. There is an embarrassing plenty of foodgraisn and sugar with a record output of sugarcane, while almost all the industries except those in the infrastructure sectors have excess capacity. On present indications, the growth in the gross domestic product (GDP) may be only around 5 per cent against the estimate of 6.0-6.5 per cent against 5.2 per cent and 6.4 per cent in the two previous years. On the foreign trade front, a negative trend has emerged in respect of exports, as these were lower by 1.87 per cent at $13.61 billion in April –July 2001 against $13.87 billion comparably. The trade deficit has, of course, declined marginally to $3.35 billion from $3.37 billion as the outgo on oil imports was lower by 6.23 per cent at $5.12 billion against $5.46 billion and non-oil imports rose by only 0.58 per cent. It remains to be seen whether the retrograde trend in exports will get reversed and a serious did will be made to achieve a growth rate of at least 8 per cent in the whole of 2001-02 against 19.83 per cent in 2000-01. The only redeeming feature is the comfortable balance of payments position.

The current account deficit was only 0.5 per cent of GDP against 1 per cent in 1999-2000. The deficit under this head in 2001-02 also may be less than 1 per cent, as software exports will be rising even with a slowdown in the U.S. economy and elsewhere and the additions to forex reserves has so far been more encouraging than in the previous year.

If there is a revival in the stock markets and FIIs increase their purchases of listed securities and foreign direct investment also happens to be on a larger scale, foreign exchange assets may reach new high level.

Thus, the problems confronting the economy within the country have to be imaginatively tackled. Otherwise, the struggle being experienced by the Planners in achieving a new trajectory growth in GDP by 8 per cent in the Tenth Plan cannot materialise.

The potential for strident growth has been underlined by McKinsey in its report submitted to the Prime Minister, as it has confidently stated that even a growth rate of 10 per cent can be realised by the Indian economy, if all barriers were removed and the second generation reform measures were implemented meaningfully. INAV