Cyber Warfare?

 

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There has recently been a very popular topic taking over our news feeds – Cyber Warfare. According to Eugene Kaspersky “we are at the beginning of a new and dangerous era of cyber warfare”. It seems like the potential threat is so large that even the government appears to be taking steps in order to protect our nation. In fact, it is not only our government, to the best of my knowledge 12 out of 15 of the world’s largest military powers are building some sort of cyber warfare program which assess “tactics and capabilities” which shall be vital if there was ever a war in the future. 

The country at the top of the accusation list for the potential to set up a cyber attack is Iran. According to U.S Air Force Space Command leader General William Shelton Iran is or will become “a force to be reckoned with”. But what do we understand “cyber warfare” to be? The guardian wrote: “Hackers now are either criminal’s out to make money, activists out to protest or governments engaged in targeting their own citizens or attacking other governments, whether for espionage or cyber warfare”. But not EVERY malicious attack falls under the category of cyber warfare. The fact is that not many people really understand what an actual cyber attack is, it’s huge! We seem to have a misconception of what we believe it is which means that most of the time we are simply being paranoid over nothing! 

Take the following report for example: 

“Recent cyber-attacks have illustrated the ability of terrorist groups and foreign governments to cause havoc on the Internet. The United States Sentencing Commission’s website was destroyed when activists attacked the site to protect the federal prosecution of Bart Swartz which eventually led to Mr. Swartz committing suicide. For years, the Chinese government has launched massive daily attacks against our government and private industry which are aimed at disrupting government operations, stealing trade secrets and undermining economic activity.”  (Source)

Technollama use this report to show how minor incidents are blown out of proportion. The fact is that it was just a placid act of protest against a website which apparently was an example of “terrorist groups and foreign governments”. Hmm, okay then... To me this is pretty much the same as just tearing down a poster!! Major attack alert...! 

This small act of protest suddenly equated to “daily attacks” according to newspapers from Chinese hackers. Really, there are ‘daily’ attacks? Where’s the evidence? There doesn’t appear to be any. It’s just a reason for more money to be sent on cyber-security measure if you ask me.

So what is Cyber Warfare? 

Kaspersky defined cyber war as activity that uses cyber weapons to cause physical damage. However, this definition is not really accurate as it is possible for a cyber attack to occur without there being a physical damage. For example, imagine all the bank records of a single nation were erased, that nation could very well say that they were victim to a cyber attack even though no physical damage would have occurred. Perhaps a better definition is that given by government security expert Richard Clark in his book Cyber War. He defined cyber warfare as "actions by a nation-state to penetrate another nation's computers or networks for the purposes of causing damage or disruption”.

Nations prepare for a Cyber War? 

It has been predicted by security analysts that this year is the year that nation-sponsored cyber warfare will go mainstream. There are some that think that these attacks may even lead to actual deaths. 

Back in 2012 it was discovered that there had been extensive cyber attacks targeted at the Iranian government. Due to this, it is believed that Iran has also launched attacks aimed at American banks and Saudi oil companies. Whether this information is wholly true, I do not know. But if it is, then it would appear as though a cyber ‘Cold War’ is happening already. Security companies just think that the battle will become even more intense this year. I guess we will just have to wait and see on that!

The Digital Divide

The digital divide is a global issue. But what exactly is the “digital divide”? Well, it’s a term used to describe “the discrepancy between people who have access to and the resources to use new information and communication tools and people who do not have the resources and access to the technology”, for example, technologies such as the internet. It also describes the difference between people who have the skills and knowledge to use such technologies and people who do not. 


The gap between those who have access to technology and those deprived of access has widened considerably over recent years. There are many people in the world who are at a great disadvantage as they cannot or do not have access to new technologies such as the internet and the ranging opportunities they bring. You could say that these individuals are “socially excluded” and are on the wrong side of the “digital divide”. 


The diagram below shows the ratio of people online / offline in various countries across the world:

 

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Here are some facts and figures about the digital divide in the UK: 

* 1 in 4 adults in the UK have never used the internet 

* One third of the UK does not have access to the internet 

* 49% of the people in the UK who do not have access to the internet are in the lowest socio-economic groups 

* 70% of individuals living in social housing do not have access to the internet 

* 39% of the people who do not have access to the internet are above the age of 65 


For more facts and figures check out the following website where I found the above information: www.21stcenturychallenges.org

 Technologies such as the internet are very much a luxury, one I probably take for granted. I could not imagine a life without access to the internet, for me it is an essential. I use it every day for hours on end. Not only do I use the internet to socialise and communicate with others, but I use it to do my work. Some people’s careers revolve around the use of the internet, that’s how much of an impact the internet has on some people’s lives. Yet there are so many of us in Britain alone who do not have access to the internet. 

So why is it that some people do not have access to such technologies?

Well, there are a number of reasons. Income is one; some people simply cannot afford to have new technologies in their homes. Location is another in terms of internet access. Rural areas generally experience lower levels of connectivity and lag behind cities in terms of broadband connectivity.
But how important is it for people to have access to technologies such as the internet? Would it make much of a difference to their daily lives? The government seems to think so! A previous report from the government’s Policy Action Team stated some possible benefits for those currently deprived of access to the internet. These possible benefits include gaining knowledge and developing skills, pursuing hobbies and opportunities that may be available to them and having the ability to campaign and take part in the democratic process. 

So far, there has not been much success in narrowing the digital divide, and I doubt there will be any time soon!

The Rise Of Game Culture

So how exactly have video games evolved over the years? Very drastically I’d say. Some of the first versions of video games were not exactly devices that could be used by an average person in their homes. They were developed by programmers using huge university computers. In 1962 a group of students in Massachusetts Institute of Technology developed a game known as ‘Spacewar’. This game went on to have a great deal of influence on future game, but it could only be played at the Institute.

Then, in 1972, engineer Nolan Bushnell, and programmer Ted Dabney started a company in California known as ‘Atari’. This company produced coin-operated video games and their first major release was a game named Pong. It was basically like an electronic form of ping-pong that was simple enough that almost anyone could play it. They became very popular in arcades.

Another major brand at the time was Magnavox. They were the first to release an official home video game console – the Magnavox Odyssey.

 

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Much like early films, this console did not feature any recorded sound and its graphics are pretty much ancient by today’s standard. During this era, video gaming was very much an adult novelty. The market was mostly university educated males.

Atari’s game Pong was so successful that in 1977 they decided to launch their own home console – Atari 2600, which eventually sold 30,000,000 units.

 

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Following this Magnavox also launched an improved version of their Odyssey system. In fact they released more than one improved version of the original!
 

 

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The novelty of video games did suffer a setback in 1983 when the market turned much of its attention to other devices such as personal computers. Not only this but many consumers were demanding newer versions which were continuously delayed, and then when production was rushed they would be badly designed new systems. The “great video game crash” drove most of the major video game players out of business.

However, not long after this crash other companies in Japan such as Sega and Nintendo started to make similar games but they were more smartly designed, had simpler controllers and they very much narrowed their focus games for children. The next few years saw the release of classic games such as Mario Bros, Final Fantasy and Donkey Kong.

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Nintendo also found success with the handheld Game Boy.

 

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The years following 1991 saw a change from 2D video gaming to 3D video gaming, as well as the introduction of online multiplayer games. The first multiplayer game to be released was Neverwinter Nights. Then in 1992, came the Wolfenstein 3D which launched the first-person shooter genre.

In 1994, Sony made its entrance with the leading Playstation.

 

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The Playstation had a more complex controller, it used a lot of licensed music, it has a more mature range of titles and was able to capture a more teenage audience than its competitors. Sony slowly became the dominant player in video gaming.

Today, the three major competitors are: Xbox 360, Sony Playstation 3 and Nintendo Wii. With a full 1080p HD graphics for both the Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3, and with Wii’s ground-breaking remote for sensing 3D movements, I think it is fair to say that video gaming has come a very long way!

 

 

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Video games are very much become an important part of our digital culture. The gaming industry today is at an industrial scale. A recent study has indicated that the average gamer is aged in their mid-late 20’s, with 60% being male and 40% being women. There are a large number of games now developed specifically for adults. Video games are not just for children or teenagers. They connect millions of players from all across the world. I would say that we have an unprecedented online gaming community amongst us.

Games even have an impact on journalism! Games have entered the news as shown in the book Newsgames: Journalism at Play by Ian Bogost, Simon Ferrari and Bobby Schweizer. Much of the book is based on explaining what games really are, and the functional and ethical challenges their creators face which happen to be very similar to those found by infographics and visualization designers. Journalists have started to borrow data visualization techniques from computers scientists and artists. Infographics and video play a huge role online and have become a vital part of digital journalism as they get audiences to interact with the news. Play the News claims to be an “engaging, community driven experience – imagine fantasy sports meets the evening news”.

With the Olympics the Guardian came up with the interactive game “Could you be a Medalist?” which gave readers a way to be a part of the games. The Guardian challenged readers to compare their personal best to the athletes competing from around the world.

 

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Games are a part of our everyday life now in ways that some people may have thought unimaginable. In the future gaming will only get more advanced.