---
title: "Are we on the brink of War?"
url: "http://andrewbolster.info/2010/01/are-we-on-the-brink-of-war/"
date: "2010-01-17T17:04:40Z"
tags: ["Application Security","Cloud","Cybersecurity","Data Security","Google","Hacking","Networking","Technology"]
categories: ["Commentary"]
---

Recent events in the cyber-security world have got me feeling paranoid. Between [Estonia](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6665195.stm), [Georgia](http://blogs.zdnet.com/security/?p=1670), and the [ever](http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/China/Hackers-in-China-infiltrate-PCs-of-Dalai-Indian-embassy/articleshow/4330735.cms)-[increasing](http://www.theage.com.au/news/security/hacking-for-china/2008/04/23/1208743025691.html) focus on [Chinese](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/6924710/China-will-soon-have-the-power-to-switch-off-the-lights-in-the-West.html) [cyber](http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704675104575001382754823848.html)-[political](http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/20100114/white-house-to-china-were-with-google-on-this-one/)-[warfare](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Aurora), geo-political entities are starting to realise that the whole ’lets stockpile enough weapons to [blow up the world enough times for the number to be rendered pointless](http://internationalreporter.com/News-5147/present-stockpile-of-a-bombs-can-destroy-earth-1000-times-god-believers.html)’ may not have been the best plan.

China has caught everyone [off-guard](http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/05/05/politics/main4991805.shtml) with its recent, albeit ‘hush hush’, [displays](http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/01/new-approach-to-china.html) of force (while not entirely getting off [scott-free](http://asia.cnet.com/blogs/sinobytes/post.htm?id=63016204&scid=hm_bl)), and we should probably be [alot more afraid of a cyber war](http://csis.org/files/media/csis/pubs/021101_risks_of_cyberterror.pdf) than of [flaming pants](http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/northwest-airlines-bomb-photos/story?id=9436297) or [security-crossed lovers](http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2010/01/rutgers_student_arrested_for_n.html).

I think there has been something ignored in this most recent spate of Chinese infiltration, is that if there is a bomb on a plane, or at an airport terminal, it blows up, theres horror, theres death and distruction, but if you’re a few miles down the road, your safe, but probably in need of a fresh set of briefs.

This is the list of companies and industries [identified](http://www.darkreading.com/security/attacks/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=222301032) as potential victims of the Chinese attacks….

- Google
- Yahoo
- Adobe
- Dow Chemical
- Northrop Grumman
- Symantec
- RackSpace

Just think about that for a second. [Dow Chemical](http://www.dow.com), nice big conglomerate of manufacturing and government supply. Nothing to go wrong there, right?

[Northrup Grumman](http://www.northropgrumman.com/)

> Designer, systems integrator and manufacturer of military aircraft, defense electronics, precision weapons, commercial and military aerostructures.

Yeah, nothing to worry about there…

If you’re on this page, then I probably don’t need to explain the implications of having the worlds biggest source of [knowledge](http://www.google.com) ever, one of the most popular network security [vendors](http://www.symantec.com/), and the biggest email [provider](http://www.yahoo.com) for the non-web-literate (i.e most vulnerable to phishing attacks) compromised. But I will anyway.

Unless you’re a Schneiner-level security [guru](http://www.schneier.com/), these companies probably have, between then, more information and control over your life than you would like to have given away to anyone, let alone a hostile foreign dictatorship.

There’s two potential actions: Shut Down or manipulation.

Its at this point that I actually want to get back into the security field. Cus frankly, if your not scared, you should be.

\*\*Update:\*\*TechCrunch has a [great article](http://bit.ly/84B75D) on the financial cost of Google changing its previously politically permissive stance in China