Latest Hacks Could Set The Stage For Cyberwar

In March, unidentified hackers penetrated RSA, a top U.S. cybersecurity company, and stole complex security codes. At the same time, intruders broke into Google's Gmail system and stole passwords, enabling them to potentially gain access to sensitive facilities or information. Cybersecurity experts say these recent intrusions are the most sophisticated hacking efforts ever perpetrated against private computer networks. Even more worrisome, such actions could have set the stage for cyberwar.

The perpetrators may have gained the capability to identify targets, assess vulnerabilities and position themselves for future attacks. "I think what we're seeing today are the reconnaissance activities of cyberwar," said Herbert Thompson, who teaches cybersecurity at Columbia University. Security experts cite several features of the recent attacks as distinguishing them from intrusions more typically attributed to individual hackers. The RSA and Google attacks are both thought to have been carried out by a foreign government, or by actors associated with a foreign government. Both seem to be examples of multistage operations, in which the initial intrusion makes possible subsequent attacks against entirely separate targets.