STRATEGIC BRIEFING

Cyber Warfare Infrastructure

by
The Technolytics Institute

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 STRATEGIC BRIEFING

Conflict

The Prussian philosopher Karl von Clauswitz

theorized:

"Every age has its own kind of war, its own

limiting conditions and its own peculiar
preconceptions."

We live in an age of information focused

warfare – Cyber Warfare!

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Introduction

Cyber attacks and cyber espionage are costing businesses

billions of dollars a year and have now become a “National
Security” issue! National security and cyber security experts
believe the U.S. Government and its contractors are the
targets of a growing cyber warfare effort that they suspect is
being conducted by nation states and their proxies with the
aim of stealing military and industrial secrets. It has been
discovered that hackers and viruses infiltrated DHS and
DoD systems, "exfiltrating" or copying and sending out data.
This approach significantly reduces the exfiltration of data
without disrupting intelligence gathering about the cyber
attackers and their tools.

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Setting the Stage

Governments use vast amounts of information technology to

conduct operations and to interface with citizens. Operations
must be conducted securely and with an assurance that
information is accurate and protected from unauthorized
access and disclosure. Governments must also ensure the
safety and security of its citizens and the nation. Information
technology can aid in this area. This briefing examines the
cyber warfare infrastructure that supports the defense and
intelligence sectors.

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Thought Leadership

DEFENSE & INTEL COMMUNITY

Surprise cyber attackers with novel counter-measures.

Avoid standardization of cyber defenses.

Develop diverse overlapping cyber defense techniques.

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Warning

An image from al Qaeda's website features a "cracked" or broken computer

which in our minds indicates a potential cyber attack!

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Background

• Cyber warfare is being waged on a massive scale the world

over. Ostensibly friendly nations attack each others' electronic
nervous systems frequently, and with reckless abandon.

– On a single day in 2008, the Pentagon was hit by would-be intruders 6

million times in a 24-hour period.

– In 2007 the Pentagon’s systems were hacked and reportedly between 20

and 27 terabytes of data was stole. Although China was “blamed” for the
attack via indirect channels, there is no conclusive evidence that they
were behind the breach.

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Background

• The UK Ministry of Defense (MoD), the DoD equivalent in

Britain, has begun to investigate what has been called the
most significant cyber security breach after information and
evidence surfaces that all emails sent from multiple Royal
Air Force stations were sent to IP addresses traced back to
Russia.

– Over 24 RAF bases and 75% of Royal Navy ships were

impacted.

– Out of the 24 RAF stations it hit, some were recently used by

the MoD to scramble fighter aircraft to head off Russian
bombers testing British air defenses.

This security event resulted in the need to bring down systems and halt email communication
across most, if not all, of the military.

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UK under Attack

Security minister Lord West told the House of Lords that the
UK continues to be targeted by a "large number of attacks"
and that the government is "taking action" to deal with those
backed by hostile regimes. The government has said it is
engaged in tackling ongoing state-sponsored cyber attacks
on UK national infrastructure.

Lord West refused to confirm the nature or origin of these

attacks but said cyber security is a "very dangerous area"
and that the UK has become "more vulnerable as we
become more connected.

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Cyber Weapons Evolution

Basic Applied Early

Rapid Advancement
Research Research Adopters

High
Advanced Weapons
Basic Weapons
Transition

Low
1994 1998 2002 2004 2008 2012 2020
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Advanced Weapons Analysis

• These attacks were sophisticated. The hybrid exploit had

several functions and features including:
– Self-defending
– Root level attacks
– Morphing every 35 seconds
– Phone home for instructions
– Each worm knows about other worms
– Programmed to work off peak operational hours
– Turning off computer defenses and changing settings
– Leverage a three part architecture like that of a missile.

• Implications of advanced exploits

– Controlling 1 million hosts can cause enormous damage
– DDoS Attack
– Stealing and modifying data
– Can be leveraged for cyber-warfare
– Conducts pre-operational surveillance
– Worms can be used to gain such control in a very short period of time.

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Cyber Infrastructure Diagram

Cyber Offensive Cyber

Countermeasures Weapons
Basic Intermediate Advanced

Network Connection

Cyber Cyber Cyber Alerts

Command & Control Reconnaissance Intelligence

Traditional Cyber
Command & Control Analysis
Technical Enemy Decision
Profile Profile Support
Dashboard
Cyber Warfare
Infrastructure
Version: 1.25
Date: 02/12/09
What When Who Where Why

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Closing Thought

The United States must treat cyber security as one of the most important
national security challenges it faces! This is a strategic issue on par with
weapons of mass destruction and global jihad, where the government
bears primary responsibility for defending our nation’s critical information
infrastructure and information assets.

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QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

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Kevin G. Coleman
4017 Washington Road
Mail Stop #348
McMurray, PA 15317
P 888-650-0800
C 412-818-7656
F 412-260-2773
E kgcoleman@technolytics.com
www.technolytics.com
About Technolytics
The Technolytics Institute (Technolytics) was established in 2000 as an independent
executive think-tank. Our primary purpose is to undertake original research and
develop substantive points of view on strategic issues facing executives in
businesses, government and industry around the world.
Our strategic goals focus on improving critical measures of performance, creating
sustainable competitive advantage, delivering innovation and technology, and
managing security and risk. We operate three centers: [Business & Commerce] –
[Security & Intelligence] and [Science & Technology] and serve client in business,
government and industry.
Kevin G. Coleman is a highly skilled executive, management consultant and cyber
warfare strategist with significant knowledge and experience in multiple industries. He
currently holds an active security clearance with the Department of Defense and is a
recognized authority in computer security, crime and cyber terrorism. A Certified
Management Consultant (CMC), he is an expert in the technology and compliance
areas. CMC is the certification marks awarded by the Institute of Management
Consultants USA and represents evidence of the highest standards of consulting and
adherence to the ethical canons of the profession. Fewer than 1% of all consultants
have achieved this level of excellence. He has experience in security and compliance
within multiple industries including: high technology, financial services, manufacturing,
defense, retail/consumer products and energy.
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