Has the Cyber War Begun?

What’s the Latest Development?

Sony, Google, Lockheed Martin, Citigroup, the C.I.A., I.M.F. and American Senate: These powerful companies and government organizations have lately been attacked by small groups of private hackers. “Hacktivists’ assaults on state targets have prompted governments to try rounding them up.” But governments, too, are using Internet technology to gain access to sensitive information stored on far-off servers. China and the United States are thought to be the two biggest perpetrators of cyber spying. 

What’s the Big Idea?

Has there really been a big rise in the number of cyber attacks in the last few months? “Although some security experts think hacking activity has hit a new high, others say such claims are overblown. They point out that laws in some states in America now require firms to reveal if their defences have been breached, which means more hacking cases are coming to light that would previously have been buried. High-profile attacks, such as the ones on the Senate website, also get plenty of media coverage, fuelling talk of an epidemic.”