Stuxnet free essay sample

Future of Cyber War David Adams Legal and Ethical Issues in Computing CIS 4253 The discovery in June 2010 that a cyber worm dubbed ‘Stuxnet’ had struck the Iranian nuclear facility at Natanz suggested that, for cyber war, the future is now. Yet more important is the political and strategic context in which new cyber threats are emerging, and the effects the worm has generated in this respect. Perhaps most striking is the confluence between cyber crime and state action. States are capitalizing on technology whose development is driven by cyber crime, and perhaps outsourcing cyber attacks to non-attributable third parties, including criminal organizations. Cyber offers great potential for striking at enemies with less risk than using traditional military means. It is unclear how much the Stuxnet program cost, but it was almost certainly less than the cost of single fighter-bomber. Yet if damage from cyber attacks can be quickly repaired, careful strategic thought is required in comparing the cost and benefits of cyber versus traditional military attack. We will write a custom essay sample on Stuxnet or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page One important benefit of cyber attack may be its greater opportunity to achieve goals such as retarding the Iranian nuclear program without causing the loss of life or injury to innocent civilians that air strikes would seem more likely to inflict. Nevertheless, cyber attacks do carry a risk of collateral damage, with a risk of political blowback if the attacking parties are identified. Difficulty in identifying a cyber attacker presents multiple headaches for responding. A key strategic risk in cyber attack, finally, lies in potential escalatory responses. Strategies for using cyber weapons like Stuxnet need to take into account that adversaries may attempt to turn them back against us. The discovery in June 2010 that a cyber worm dubbed ‘Stuxnet’ had struck the Iranian nuclear facility at Natanz suggested that, for cyber war, the future is now. Stuxnet has apparently infected over 60,000 computers, more than half of them in Iran; other countries affected include India, Indonesia, China, Azerbaijan, South Korea, Malaysia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Finland and Germany. The virus continues to spread and infect computer systems via the Internet, although its power to do damage is now limited by the availability of effective antidotes, and a built-in expiration date of 24 June 2012. (McMillan, 2010) Stuxnet is a sophisticated computer program designed to penetrate and establish control over remote systems in a quasi-autonomous fashion. It represents a new generation of ‘fire-and-forget’ malware that can be aimed in cyberspace against selected targets. Those that Stuxnet targeted were ‘air gapped’; in other words, they were not connected to the public Internet and penetration required the use of intermediary devices such as USB sticks to gain access and establish control. Using four ‘zero-day vulnerabilities’ (vulnerabilities previously unknown, so that there has been no time to develop and distribute patches), the Stuxnet worm employs Siemens default passwords to access Windows operating systems that run the WinCC and PCS 7 programs. These are programmable logic controller (PLC) programs that manage industrial plants. The genius of the worm is that it can strike and reprogram a computer target. (Garza, 2010) Some media reports mistakenly thought the Iranian light-water power reactor at Bushehr was also a target. Iran confirmed that Stuxnet infected personal computers there while denying that much damage was inflicted. (Yong, 2010) But Bushehr seems an unlikely target, because the plutonium produced by such light-water reactors is not well suited for weapons purposes. The more likely target is Irans uranium-enrichment program. Although most of the 4,000–5,000 centrifuges operating to date at the pilot and industrial-scale fuel-enrichment facilities at Natanz have been producing only low-enriched uranium, the same centrifuges could be put to use to produce highly enriched uranium for weapons. Alternatively, and in a more likely scenario, it is feared that Iran could be operating secret centrifuge facilities to produce highly enriched uranium. The key to the Stuxnet worm is that it can attack both known and unknown centrifuges. Although there is no hard evidence that Stuxnet has exposed Ahmadinejad to public criticism that the government failed to competently defend key installations, cyber can nevertheless be a tool to discredit, destabilize and weaken the authority of adversarial regimes. Cyber also offers great potential for striking at enemies with less risk than using traditional military means. For example, North Korea poses threats other than through its nuclear program. It is involved, for example, in extensive counterfeiting. Cyber attack offers potential options that may prove effective in countering such criminal activity. Cyber is, moreover, less costly than traditional military action. It is unclear how much the Stuxnet program cost, but it was almost certainly less than the cost of single fighter-bomber. Third parties currently working in concert with a state may or may not be held under tight control. Criminal groups are mercenary. They may well sell their services twice. Outsourcing to the underworld is a slippery slope.

Nisa The Life And Words Of Kung Woman By Marjorie Shostak Essays

Nisa The Life And Words Of Kung Woman By Marjorie Shostak In this paper I am going to discuss the book Nisa The Life and Words of a !Kung Woman, by Marjorie Shostak. In doing this I will describe the culture of the !Kung people, a small hunter-gatherer tribe in Africa. Then I will go on with telling about their sociocultural systems that I have read about in this book. To rap things up I will tell my prediction where the !Kung population is headed into the future. I will use explanations from the book to help me describe my prediction. !Kung culture is a very simple culture. The norms in this society are hard to define; norms are shared rules that define how people are supposed to behave under certain circumstances. Take marriage for example In the book Nisa explains how a women can marry more than once in her lifetime, a !Kung girl is actually married several times before she stays with one man. These appeared to me as trial marriages, the women are too young to want the marriage and usually are the ones to end it. Even after long marriage involving children things such as death and divorce/ separation occur and a woman finds a new husband. So as you can see the norms in the !Kung culture are much different than that of our own norms. Even when marriage is involved the idea of having lovers was not shunned. Although some women do not engage in this act, it is a very common thing among the !Kung. The norm here is to have a lover to keep that young playful and loving attraction alive with someone, even after things have began to settle with your husband. Nisa explains, ?Even my mother had lovers. I'd be with her when she met them. But my father, if he had them, I didn't know She recalls many situations like this, as do most !Kung children. ?I remember, when I was still small, seeing my mother with one man. He met her, took her, and made love to her. I sat nearby and waited. When she came back carrying firewood, I thought, ?I am going to tell!? Then I thought, ?Should I tell Daddy or shouldn't I But when we arrived back at the village, I didn't say anything. I thought if I told, my father would kill my mother.? Most children fear their father's beatings, therefore, will not tell on their mothers. Values, standards by which a society defines what is desirable and undesirable, in !Kung society mainly involve things dealing with sex. The sex they value is not the same sex that our society views it. It is not about looks or big breasts or broad shoulders. They place no value on looks, although Nisa does comment on good-looking people, there is no comments made directly towards ugly people. They do not emphasize on people's bad looks; therefore, they do not have to feel self conscious of their looks. When derogatory comments are made it's about peoples genitals. Once when she was too young to have sex she would decline sex play by saying, ?You, Tuma, you've got an enormous penis! I don't want to be with someone like that!? He said, ? We're going to play and have sex with Big-Vagina over there.? He meant me.? They used this as a way of insulting each other. When it comes to sex having big genitals is a bad thing, therefore, the values in the society are much different from our own. The socialization/ enculturation process of a new !Kung child starts at day one. Enculturation is the process of social interaction through which people learn their culture. When the mother is feeling well enough after the birth, which is usually a few days or as soon as the milk comes in, the baby will go gathering with the mother. That there involves a large part of the culture of everyday life. Although not much is expected of the !Kung children their curiosity makes up for it. Children are willing and eager to learn to hunt and gather, as do the adults. Young males are able to learn about hunting

Writing Essay in IELTS General Samples

Writing Essay in IELTS General SamplesYou might have seen that IELTS general samples have gained popularity among students of all ages. This is because the tests are practical as well as educational. These are the best test for a student with an IELTS score, because they are a kind of homework, and your achievement in these tests is a reflection of how good you really are at learning.All students who excel in their IELTS scores are called to write an essay. There are a few kinds of essays in general, and the type that you will be asked to write depends on what it is you want to express. For example, if you wish to express yourself and explore ideas, a personal essay is best suited to you.The right test essay can turn you into a top IELTS student. Remember that writing in English is the most common way to express oneself. If you cannot write effectively and accurately in English, how can you expect to express yourself clearly in another language? It can certainly be a challenge, but w hen you meet the challenge, you will realize that your essay writing in IELTS general samples is not really difficult at all.There are a number of different types of essays that you will need to know about. If you want to write a news story, you need to choose one type of essay from among the ones offered in the book. You can choose from those that deal with history, culture, or the arts, and these are called topical essays.Essays on science are another type of essay you can write. These can go through the different branches of science or provide insight on the scientific process in general.However, if you need to write about the real subjects, you will need to write one on the topic that you wish to concentrate on. The examples provided in the book may help you with this, but you need to be sure that you are capable of addressing this question.Overall, the test in IELTS general samples is one that provides you with the chance to learn about the basics of the English language. This can be a great tool for students who want to be more fluent in their native language.