Key Takeaways

  • APT (Advanced Persistent Threat): The designation given to state-sponsored hacking groups. Russia is "APT28" (Fancy Bear). China is "APT1" (Unit 61398).
  • Stuxnet (2010): The moment everything changed. A US/Israel worm that physically destroyed Iranian nuclear centrifuges by spinning them too fast while reporting "Everything Normal" to the monitoring screens.
  • NotPetya (2017): A Russian attack on Ukraine that spiraled out of control and caused $10 Billion in damage globally, shutting down Maersk shipping ports worldwide for weeks.

Cyber warfare is defined by "Plausible Deniability." It's hard to prove 100% that the Kremlin ordered the attack, so it avoids triggering NATO Article 5 (Full War).

Strategies

1. Critical Infrastructure

Turning off the power grid (Ukraine 2015). Poisoning water treatment plants. Shutting down hospitals. These are not about stealing data; they are about causing chaos.

2. Espionage

China (APT10) is famous for stealing Intellectual Property. They hack Lockheed Martin to steal plans for the F-35 jet, saving themselves billions in R&D costs.

3. Disinformation

Using Bot Farms (Internet Research Agency) to polarize elections in rival countries. Tearing society apart from the inside.

The Tallinn Manual

A NATO guidebook that attempts to define "Digital Rules of Engagement." e.g., "Hacking a hospital is a War Crime," but "Hacking a military server is fair game." It is non-binding.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Are we in a Cyber War right now?
Yes. It is a "Grey Zone" conflict. It never stops. Every day, thousands of attacks are exchanged between major powers.
What can I do?
Not much. You are collateral damage. Just backup your data offline, so if a nation-state wiper hits your company, you aren't wiped out.

Learn the tools of the trade.
Read Nmap Guide