CYBER SECURITY

HOAX & CYBER ATTACK

We consider hoax (our umbrella term for the whole spectrum of mis/disinformation) as a form of cyber attack, due to the following facts:

The method : conducted in the cyber space.
The target : destroying the integrity of certain information.
The damages : real-world harm & riots, financial losses, polarization of societies, loss of lives.

The definition of “cyber attack” have evolved several times since 1980s. Committee of National Security Systems (CNSS) of the USA on 26th April 2010 defined “cyber attack” as: ⁽¹⁾

“Any kind of malicious activity that attempts to .. disrupt, deny, degrade, or destroy .. the information itself.“

HOAX & CYBER WARFARE

It is now clear that a hoax attack can be done by an organized team of hoax actors, and cause significant, wide ranging, damages, to its targets.

Therefore a hoax attack can also be recognized as cyber warfare.

Robinson et al in 2015 defined “cyber warfare” as: ⁽²⁾

“the use of cyber attacks with a warfare-like intent“

A hoax attack may also be part of a cyber war, or even an actual war.

HOAX & CYBER SECURITY

Hoax is a kind of cyber attack that’s very dangerous because it can be done with very little resources, it can result in severe damages – and there’s very inadequate defenses available against it.

It’s now time to start considering hoax as part of the cyber security topic.

Author: Harry Sufehmi
Date: 2022-09-15