The Effects of STUXNET on the Global Market

The Significance of STUXNET

The STUXNET code of malicious events in Iran was significant in that it provided an avenue for countering Iran’s nuclear development program. According to Czosseck and Podins (2012), Iran had continued advancing its nuclear programs despite objection from world superpowers. Therefore, the cyber weapon slowed the country's nuclear development program through the attacks. Another significance of STUXNET is that it created awareness among intelligence agencies in several countries regarding the existence of sophisticated cyber weapons. The Dragonfly malicious code that is currently in the US and Europe is significant, in that, it encourages the development of advanced tools to defend the countries against future cyber attacks. Concerning this, the United States and the UK have publicly stated that they have initiated cyber defense projects.

The Effects of Zero-day Exploits

The sale of zero-day exploits (ZDEs) has effects on the global market. For instance, the sale of ZDEs increases the global market’s chances of crashing considering that the ZDEs have the potential to cause a cyber disaster that may, in turn, affect global stability. A treaty like the Nuclear Proliferation Treaty cannot manage the proliferation of ZDEs and cyber weapons because anonymous users develop and sell them through underground web technologies. Moreover, it is impossible to keep a count of them just as nations count their nuclear weapons because more ZDEs and cyber weapons are developed every day as their demands increase. It is difficult to keep track of them because their development and sale involves anonymity.

The Impact of EMP Cyber Attacks

The common characteristic of a cyber attack using electromagnetic pulse (EMP) on computer equipment and business enterprises is the blowing out of electronic equipment. Since most business enterprises rely on electronics, an EMP attack will make them inoperable, and this will lead to immediate shutdowns. According to Prunckun (2018), an EMP cyber attack affects business enterprises by disabling public electric utilities and this, in turn, has a direct inflict on the enterprises. Unlike the EMP cyber attack, aspects such as network overload, deletion of files, slow performance, and encrypted systems characterize malicious code cyber attacks. The effects of the malicious code cyber attacks include security breaches, damages to computer files, and data theft (Prunckun, 2018). It is evident that an EMP attack is more devastating than a malicious code cyber attack because it causes permanent damage to computers. A review of the price of EMP devices shows that they are of high value. For instance, a high power pulse generator sells at $15,000.

References

Czosseck, C., & Podins, K. (2012). A Vulnerability-Based Model of Cyber Weapons and its Implications for Cyber Conflict. International Journal of Cyber Warfare and Terrorism, 2(1), 14-26. doi: 10.4018/ijcwt.2012010102

Prunckun, H. (2018). Cyber Weaponry: Issues and Implications of Digital Arms. Cham, Switzerland: Springer.