In fact, the two sides are reportedly negotiating a landmark deal that would prohibit cyber attacks against each other s vital infrastructure. An agreement on the issue could be the most important outcome of the summit, although other types of cyber attacks are unlikely to be covered by it.

While the countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) or similar countries such systems are generally still very secure, information warfare has attracted substantial funding in these nations and has given rise to a burgeoning vocabulary of cyber terms cyber operations, cyber attacks, cybermunitions, etc.

Law enforcement officials suggest that these attacks are not the work of mischievous hackers but of sophisticated criminal operations.

And so there's a lot of I'm sure you've read a lot in papers, about worries about cyber attacks and defenses against those.

Cyber threats and potential cyber warfare illustrate the increased vulnerabilities and loss of control in modern societies. Governments have mainly been concerned about hacker attacks on their own bureaucracy s information technology infrastructure, but there are social vulnerabilities well beyond government computers.

Cyber Insecurity

Cyber Café

Cyber crime

For example, a taxation and regulatory exchange would help countries to tackle tax avoidance and harmonize corporate taxation, while promoting information sharing and cooperation. Likewise, a cyber security data sharing platform could prove vital to understanding, preventing, and responding to cyber attacks.

Furthermore, the insurgency has taken a more brutal turn of late, using more sophisticated weaponry, as seen in the recent suicide bombing attacks.

The US accuses China of using cyber espionage to steal intellectual property on an unprecedented scale. Among other public sources, it could point to a study by the cyber security firm Mandiant, which traced many such attacks to a People s Liberation Army facility in Shanghai.

Cyber war and cyber espionage are largely associated with states, while cyber crime and cyber terrorism are mostly associated with non state actors. The highest costs currently stem from espionage and crime but, over the next decade or so, cyber war and cyber terrorism may become greater threats than they are today.

China s Cyber Warriors

Cyber War and Peace

Computer hackers attacked Georgian government Web sites in the weeks preceding the outbreak of armed conflict. The Russia Georgia conflict represents the first significant cyber attacks accompanying armed conflict.

For example, countries at the lower end of the digital divide were used as staging grounds to launch cyber attacks or as transit countries to mask the cybercrime trail.

Although the greatest cyber threat comes from rogue states with the capacity to develop extremely sophisticated computer viruses, risks can also come from anarchistic hackers and terrorists, or even from computer glitches compounded by natural catastrophe.

Can Cyber Warfare Be Deterred?

Cyber security was also being advanced.

Consider the threat of cyber terrorism.

I summon the Mawefic Cyber End Dwagon!

Encourage adoption of the Council of Europe's Convention of Cyber Crime, May 2001, as the basis for standardized cyber crime efforts.

The main risk of violence created by the nature of the electricity system itself is the danger of serious power outages due to physical or cyber attacks on the increasingly fragile transmission and distribution grid.

They're very technically sophisticated.

You're a sophisticated man.

Nonetheless, it may be possible to identify behaviors like cyber crime that are illegal in many domestic jurisdictions. Trying to limit all intrusions would be impossible, but one could start with cyber crime and cyber terrorism involving non state parties.

The US extradited a low level Chinese official to face corruption charges. The Obama administration also decided not to announce sanctions against Chinese entities and individuals allegedly involved in cyber attacks on American companies and government agencies.

Every village in Africa now has a cyber cafe.

Will Governmental Folly Now Allow for a Cyber Crisis?

Cyber activists want to meet with the Supreme Leader.

At a time when cyber attacks are increasing worldwide, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was right to declare that an attack on one nation s computer networks can be an attack on all. Indeed, the attacks are a reminder that, as a new part of the global commons, cyberspace already has come under threat.

There are too many risks human error, technical flaws, negligence, cyber attacks, and more to believe that these weapons will never be used. Nor is there good reason to believe that adequate fail safe mechanisms are in place.

Well, we're all equally sophisticated.

They have very sophisticated cooperation.

It's nothing sophisticated. Forget it.

An egg is a beautiful, sophisticated thing that can create even more sophisticated things, such as chickens.

We called the project CyArk, which stands for Cyber Archive.

But getting to 2030 without a major confrontation will be a major achievement. While the US is likely to maintain the upper hand in terms of military power for at least another 15 20 years, asymmetric warfare could undercut America s advantage should China engage in cyber attacks on US electronic and satellite systems, along with attacks on infrastructure.

So who's the more sophisticated species?

Crew of four. Sophisticated communications sweep.

She's too beautiful. She's too sophisticated.

Oh, you and your sophisticated ideas!

1. Have emergency warning networks regarding cyber vulnerabilities, threats and incidents.

In America, you have the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act.

Let's shift to a different kind of sea, the cyber sea.