The War of the Future by Brian Dexter M. Medija

The War of the Future
by Brian Dexter M. Medija
Published in his column Surfboard  on  SunStar Davao Weekend Edition
December 10, 2000.

I’m not sure how to start this, but computer hacking is becoming the new mode of terrorism. Today, a high-tech terrorist could do his con job from virtually any point on the globe on any computer system accessible to that magical network called “the Internet.” The minimum ingredients to this new terrorist recipe are just a modem-equipped computer (could this be possible on web-enabled cellular phones in the future?), a telephone line, and a dollop of computer genius.

Nope, nope. I’m not saying go and cook some terroristic fun, hacking is far from a culinary delight, although to hackers it could be as delectable—forget the thought! What I’m saying is that at this age countries are becoming more and more dependent on computers, and a way to inflict harm on these countries (as may be the objective of terrorist activity) are to intrude on their computer systems and steal, destroy or manipulate information.

Another way of putting this is, the more dependent a country is on computers, or the more widespread the use of computers in a country (the US for instance, especially the US), and especially if these computer systems are connected to the global network, then possibly the more destructive the effects of hacking.

In a feature story aired on BBC, a US senator acknowledged a hacking spree aimed on US systems of such sensitive fixtures as the Pentagon (probably the favorite target of hackers). Interestingly, these cybercrimes are being perpetrated not by hardcore terrorists but by adventurous chip-chomping teenage and pre-teenage kids who get a high by getting past security installations on networks. What if the hardcore terrorists begin recruiting these adventurous chip-chomping teenage and pre-teenage kids?

I guess we could sleep well on the thought that our country is safe and sound from cyberterrorism, as it is voguishly called. True, there had been reported hackings on websites (such as the hacking of SunStar’s very own website some months ago) and the like, but there’s no real threat to the state’s security, or say, to the general public welfare as our government has remained rather low tech in these times. Correct me if I’m wrong there, but that just seems to be the case. But perhaps, that spells good luck for us, eh? Our country even remained unscathed by the wrath of the “Love Bug,” allegedly done by a Filipino yuppie, while it wreaked havoc on computer systems around the globe (it destroyed systems in the Pentagon, for instance) and incurring some billions of dollars in damages.

Notwithstanding this downside, we have a glut of high tech talent. Our pool of well-educated, highly-trained, intelligent, able, young, and cheap labor is a come-on for any high-tech industry. In fact, this oversupply of bulging computer heads is so glaring a statistic that high-tech industries are seriously considering our country as a site for putting up their high-end centers in software development, etc., despite the economic, political and social pandemonium here. This glut also fuels the great “Brain Drain” engine, that incessantly exports our high tech talents to operate foreign systems.

Unless we utilize these talents effectively, or unless we put some value into our techie population, we may not be able to gear up for the technological challenges that the new millenium brings. What is feared about cyberterrorism is that it might be practiced by a country that has conflicting interests with another—a sort of cyberwar.

I’m not saying let’s spawn cyberterrorists given this plethora of raw material. What I’m trying to say is that we have the advantage over many countries, even over the purportedly high-tech ones, of having the right ammunition to fight the war of the future.

The buzz is that cable wires will become the battle ground of the new millennium. In more symbolic terms, cyberspace will become the new Iraq, the new Gulf, the new Serbia. The war will be fought not with scud missiles and stealth bombers, but by 1’s and 0’s (ones and zeros—the binary system). It might be termed the Information Warfare. Silo warfare (traditional, missile-fought battle) will be no more, and control centers will be reduced to the mere keyboard.

Alas, the US, and perhaps other military powers, too, will continue making the demand for Silo warfare. They will invade a country deemed evil to display their military wares that are fast verging on obsolescence, in the hopes that the poorer countries would be goaded into buying these arms for their security.

I won’t be surprised if soon the Philippines will begin stocking up on these “high-tech” military equipment: war boats made in the US, aircraft made in France, missiles made in Germany. I won’t be surprised that, in the future, when we are all set for a Desert Storm style warfare, we will realize that we are fighting the war with the wrong means, or worse, we find ourselves on the wrong battlefield.