Abstract
“Cybersecurity and Cyber Weapons: is Nonproliferation possible?” by Clay Wilson, deals with the argument that several international organizations now describe malicious codes as a Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD), and argue that nations are entering a new cyber arms race. Dr. Wilson questions whether it is possible to manage the global spread of malicious cyber weapons by using methods for nonproliferation in the ways they were used to control traditional nuclear weapons. The paper also discusses emerging threats from malicious cyber code, and describes characteristics of cyber weapons that some organizations now classify as Weapons of Mass Destruction, similar to Chemical, Biological, Radiological, or Nuclear (CBRN) WMD.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Bibliography
D. Alexander, After early successes, Obama struggles to implement disarmament vision. Chicago Tribune (2012). http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-08-31/news/sns-rt-us-usa-nuclear-armsbre87u06b-20120830_1_nuclear-weapons-new-start-treaty-world-without-nuclear-arms. Accessed 2 Sept 2012
J. Ball, Regulations eyed for cybersecurity trade. Washington Post (2012). 2 Sept 2012, p. A6
K. Benedict, Stuxnet and the bomb. Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (2012). http://www.thebulletin.org/web-edition/columnists/kennette-benedict/stuxnet-and-the-bomb. Accessed 20 Sept 2012
R. Carroll, US urged to recruit master hackers to wage cyber war on America’s foes. The Guardian (2012). http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/jul/10/us-master-hackers-al-qaida?newsfeed=true. Accessed 22 Aug 2012
P. D. Demchak, Rise of a cybered westphalian age (Air University Strategic Studies Quarterly, Spring, 2011), pp. 32–61
P. Dodds, Web summit considers cyber-nonproliferation pact. ECN News (2011). http://www.ecnmag.com/news/2011/06/web-summit-considers-cyber-nonproliferation-pact. Accessed 2 Sept 2012
M. R. Engleman, Code in aramco cyber attack indicates lone perpetrator. Bloomberg (2012).http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-10-25/code-in-aramco-cyber-attack-indicates-lone-perpetrator.html. Accessed 29 Oct 2012
Solicitation Number FA8750-12-R-0002, FedBizOps.gov. Agile Cyber Technology (ACT) (2011). https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&tab=core&id=15674b71f7e098c64710ff953a567ba4&_cview=0. Accessed 28 Oct 2013
A. B. Greenberg, Meet the hackers who sell spies the tools to crack your PC [and get Paid Six-figure Fees]. Forbes (2012a). http://www.forbes.com/sites/andygreenberg/2012/03/21/meet-the-hackers-who-sell-spies-the-tools-to-crack-your-pc-and-get-paid-six-figure-fees/. Accessed 3 Sept 2012
A. B. Greenberg, Shopping For zero-days: a price list for hackers’ secret software exploits. Forbes (2012b). http://www.forbes.com/sites/andygreenberg/2012/03/23/shopping-for-zero-days-an-price-list-for-hackers-secret-software-exploits/. Accessed 3 Sept 2012
J. Griffin, Flame: a cyber weapon of mass destruction. TMCnet.com. (2012) http://www.tmcnet.com/topics/articles/2012/05/29/292267-flame-cyber-weapon-mass-destruction.htm. Accessed 20 Sept 2012
N. Hoover, Air force seeks offensive cyber weapons. Information Week (2012). http://www.informationweek.com/air-force-seeks-offensive-cyber-weapons/240006574. Accessed 20 Sept 2012
S. Kemp, Cyberweapons: Bold steps in a digital darkness?. Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (2012). http://www.thebulletin.org/web-edition/op-eds/cyberweapons-bold-steps-digital-darkness. Accessed 20 Sept 2012
J. M. Kramer, US and Russia differ on treaty for cyberspace. New York Times (2009). http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/28/world/28cyber.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all. Accessed 2 Sept 2012
R. Lemos, U.S., china talks address cyber-weapons, not cyber-spying. eWeek (2012). http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Security/US-China-Talks-Address-CyberWeapons-not-CyberSpying-329861/. Accessed 20 Sept 2012
R. Lemos, Zero-Day attacks long-lived, presage mass exploitation. Dark Reading – Techweb (2012). http://www.darkreading.com/advanced-threats/167901091/security/attacks-breaches/240009358/zero-day-attacks-long-lived-presage-mass-exploitation.html?cid=nl_DR_daily_2012-10-19_html&elq=64756851392a414db40239930e4e457d. Accessed 19 Oct 2012
C. Miller, The legitimate vulnerability market: the secretive world of 0-day exploit sales. Independent Security Evaluators (2007). http://securityevaluators.com/files/papers/0daymarket.pdf. Accessed 3 Sept 2012
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Peoples Republic of China:. China, Russia and Other Countries Submit the Document of International Code of Conduct for Information Security to the United Nations (2011). http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/eng/wjdt/wshd/t858978.html. Accessed 15 Sep 2012
E. Nakashima, With Plan X, pentagon seeks to spread U.S. military might to cyberspace. Washington Post (2012a). http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/with-plan-x-pentagon-seeks-to-spread-us-military-might-to-cyberspace/2012/05/30/gJQAEca71U_story.html. Accessed 4 Sept 2012
E. Nakashima, U.S. accelerating cyberweapon research. The Washington Post (2012b). http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-accelerating-cyberweapon-research/2012/03/13/gIQAMRGVLS_story.html. Accessed 29 Oct 2012
R. Naraine, 0-day exploit middlemen are cowboys, ticking bomb. ZDNet.(2012). http://www.zdnet.com/blog/security/0-day-exploit-middlemen-are-cowboys-ticking-bomb/10294. Accessed 3 Sept 2012
P. Paganini, Reflections on the zero-day exploits market. Infosec Island (2012). http://www.infosecisland.com/blogview/20819-Reflections-on-the-Zero-Day-Exploits-Market.html. Accessed 3 Sept 2012
N. Perlroth, In cyberattack on saudi firm, U.S. sees iran firing back. The New York Times (2012). http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/24/business/global/cyberattack-on-saudi-oil-firm-disquiets-us.html?pagewanted=all. Accessed 20 Apr 2013
J. Reed, Coming soon on demand: cyber weapons. Foreign Policy: National Security (2012). http://killerapps.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2012/09/05/coming_soon_on_demand_cyber_weapons. Accessed 30 Oct 2013
Daily Maily Reporter, Weapons of cyber mass destruction: U.S. and Israel behind Stuxnet worm attack on Iran, expert claims. Mail Online (2011). http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1362847/Weapons-cyber-mass-destruction-U-S-Israel-Stuxnet-worm-attack-Iran-expert-claims.html. Accessed 20 Sept 2012
D. Sanger, Obama order sped up wave of cyberattacks against Iran. The New York Times (2012). http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/01/world/middleeast/obama-ordered-wave-of-cyberattacks-against-iran.html?pagewanted=all&_moc.semityn.www. Accessed 20 Sept 2012
N. Shachtman, Russia’s top cyber sleuth foils US spies, helps kremlin pals. Wired (2012). http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/07/ff_kaspersky/all/. Accessed 10 Sept 2012
M. H. Timm, Zero-day exploit sales should be key point in cybersecurity debate. Electronic Frontier Foundation (2012). https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/03/zero-day-exploit-sales-should-be-key-point-cybersecurity-debate. Accessed 3 Sept 2012
C. Wilson, Science collaboration and security: emerging cbrncy challenges and threat reduction programs beyond 2012 (Presentation at the International Working Group, Landau Network Centro Volta Workshop - Evolving, Existing and New Threats Stemming from Cyber and Information Technology Sectors, Como, Italy, 2012)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2013 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Wilson, C. (2013). Cybersecurity and Cyber Weapons: Is Nonproliferation Possible?. In: Martellini, M. (eds) Cyber Security. SpringerBriefs in Computer Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02279-6_2
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02279-6_2
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-02278-9
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-02279-6
eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)