Strategies for Tomorrow's War
I for one believe that in the next war many tactics will involve computers and
network attacks. Currently the United States is the primary target for attacks utilizing this sort of strategy. We are the most dependent on communications,
and we have the highest currency value in the world. Prices for the new weapons
are very cheap and these can be produced with very little overhead. Even a small
army or terrorist group could afford the dozen technicians needed for a
well-coordinated attack. The following article will describe what I believe
the military should be researching and the newer tactics that could be
implemented into tomorrow's war.
Order of Battle is a common military term used to describe an order of
actions within warfare. In the future wars I believe Attacking Network
Operations will change to reflect the following.
Target Communications:
1. Monitoring. This is only getting easier due to changing
electronics and technology. Broad Band Wireless
connections to the Internet and the proliferation of Cellular/satellite
link devices are common components in today's armed forces and DoD Contractors.
The major factor here is to provide strategic, constant, monitoring to
disclose key sources of information or targets, and to discard all others.
2. Infiltration of networks and the establishment of valid identities on target networks. This can be computer,
radio, satellite, or any other kind of communications network.
Establishing a user part of the network and letting other clients know you're
there but not using false information or deception.
3. Denial. Total Denial of Service (DOS). Once again this can be any
type of network: voice or data. Following the future Order of Battle,
jamming will be possible because of the network monitoring. I do think tapping will be the initial phase of an assault, but jamming systems will be the ultimate goal. Once
you reestablish transmissions after the denial then insertion
of disinformation will be employed. I think it would be more beneficial to
implement the disinformation after the denial because of the state of
confusion that will be existent while trying to reestablish communications.
4. Denial Release followed by Insertion of False data. Letting the
services or networks come back online. Offensive Spoofing coordinated in
phase 2, insert planned data for predetermined counterstrikes or reactions.
Research/Data Collection
1. Monitoring Open Communications: UN-Encrypted communications is one of the principle vulnerabilities of any force. For this Article, Monitoring will include the following: Computer, Radio, Satellite, and Data Flow. There are many open source publications of the "Leaks" that occurred during the last major war. One example was a Senator calling home on a Cell Phone to his wife and asking her to watch CNN coverage of the first attack.
2. Email: I did not include email in the previous paragraph for a couple of reasons. Email is probably the most widely used form of communication other than Intranet connections. The majority of e-mail messages are not encrypted and can be easily monitored. Even the digital signature of PKI does not notify the user if the message was "Tapped", only if the message was altered. Since the military has to pass over "Public" services for Internet/Intranet usage these are open communications as well. Email service can be more easily "Tapped" because of key word and key "Domain" affiliation. Recently software designed to "Monitor Internal Email" by key word search has become available. Such programs could be reverse engineered or produced for a very minute price. Many of us could build key word listings for the United States Government/Military very easily.
3. Military C4I Networks. This includes chain of command and primarily communications networks (C2). This can be both data and voice communications. Data flow can reveal much more then the average person thinks.
4. On-Line Stock trading: Sites like this should be researched to build a key communications structure for the stock market. This will not play much of a part in the monitoring phase of the Planning, but will play a large role in the Offensive Attack described later.
5. On-Line Banking and Global Currency Market Networks: This will factor in both monitoring and possibly attacking plans. Once again the objective is to build key sources of network topology connections.
Attacks and Weapons
Network Jamming: Networks will be targeted very early, not just monitored but also jammed or flooded. Operations will commence to redirect traffic and create massive chaos on the Internet. In my opinion, many strategist are not making jamming, or DOS, a tactic for the future. It would be difficult to accomplish due to the random path with which routers transport information. Once again the key is to strike the main servers within the network with a DOS type of weapon.
EMP or E-Bomb: This concept has been around for a number of years now, and has been dubbed the poor man's nuke. These weapons give off electro magnetic radiation inducing currents and voltages in cables, and radio frequency transmissions to cripple wireless networks. Countering this type of attack would be very costly and time consuming. Many corporate companies do not even consider this a threat to their infrastructure. Any mechanisms using the electromagnetic spectrum to subvert, disrupt or destroy enemy command and control, are electromagnetic systems. This essentially includes any system capable of Meaconing, Intrusion, Jamming and Interference (MIJI). Meaconing interferes with direction finding and navigation. Intrusion confuses enemy communications by broadcasting counter-commands or walking over communications. Jamming and interference prevents the enemy from using a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum
Viruses: Most known virus attacks have been of the nuisance nature. A virus designed by a hostile army or intelligence organization would exploit the same well-known security holes in commercial software, but the bug would be more sophisticated and harder to detect. Sophisticated engineering gauged towards targeting and precision, not just randomized chaos, would probably be the first step. Other developments in Subliminal patterns and Display Triggered Nausea/Seizure could lead to a whole new weapon.
Special Targets
GPS: Use of GPS has proliferated down to the unit level in many services. Commonly GPS is used to track assets from a 'god's eye view,' and to guide missiles and aircraft. GPS is another target that will hinder the United States if attacked properly. Example: GPS is a target that will be monitored, and then modified with a transmitted algorithm to return false readings. The enemy will program their GPS receivers to automatically update or correct their coordinates. If designed well, there will be different algorithms implemented at predetermined times.
Military C4I Networks
DOS will be one of the weapons of choice for taking down monitored or known nodes of military C4I networks. Radio and satellite transmissions may also need to be jammed to accomplish this mission. Many C4I Networks give the Commanders the "God's Eye view" for evaluation and decision-making. Destroying this capability would be key, but in the past inserting disinformation into these types of systems has proven valuable as well.
Currency
Jamming the Global Exchange and the On-line Banking infrastructure would cause a two-fold reaction. The elimination of currency would shorten the life span of many supplies to units in the field. The other effect would be that the Negative Stock Exchange results would trigger detrimental Psychological effects on the public and the resultant chaos would likely trigger a run on local banks. [editor's note: global currency and stock exchanges are so tightly tied that any attack on a foreign power's stock exchange would likely not only trigger negative (possibly hostile) reactions from world market leaders (England, Japan, etc. (read: when English stock brokers wake up to find that the London opening has bottomed out due to chaos on the US market he will not be happy)) but also cause a ripple effect that would destroy domestic internal markets as well (during the 30's stock market crash every world economic power suffered from the US economic collapse).]
Power:
All infrastructures depend on power, and potential terrorists have an array of weapons available to interrupt power supplies. In addition to using electromagnetic pulse weapons, they can deploy "sparklets," devices that can be attached to the main power supply to cause electrical interference on computer circuits. Other weapons of physical network destruction include "filth injectors," specialized links into a power system that affect equipment connected to that system, and "power pulses," which switch electricity supply on and off at varying frequencies, in the process inducing nightmares for emergency teams trying to locate problems.
Email:
Will be targeted very early, not only monitored but also jammed. Many strategists (in my opinion) are not considering jamming, or DOS, seriously as a tactic for the future, especially against email. Entering false data or spoofing mail sources would be very easy.
DNS:
The past has proven the vulnerability of DNS and the slowing, almost halting, effects it has on the Internet. DNS is vital to today's Internet and poorly designed.
Drawbacks
Systems are complex, and data paths are random so it may be harder to control an attack and achieve a desired level of damage than using physical weapons. These new tactics require considerable knowledge and skill to use effectively. Attacking networks may obstruct all communications including you own assets.
The conclusions and opinions expressed in this document are those of the author cultivated in the spirit of freedom of expression
cptzzap@apexmail.com
1.) Daemon
processes - psyops
2.)Analysis
: Implications of Internet Growth - CptZZap
3.)The Art of
IRC - JesterS
4.)Network
Stacks & TCP/IP - Liquid Sphear
5.)Basics of
Internet Investigations - madirish
6.)Proliferation of
the Internet
7.)Having fun
with system.ini - xearthed
8.)A look into
VPNs and setting one up - L33tdawg
9.)Review of
DIVA LAN ISDN Router - L33tdawg
10.)Strategies
for Tomorrows War - Cpt ZZap
