Dreadful Cyber War

Time to Set Up Integrated Crisis Management System

This week's cyber attacks on government agencies, banks, Web portals, an Internet auction site and a newspaper show how vulnerable South Korea is to cyber terrorism. The latest incidents should serve as a wakeup call to the nation about cyber security. The hacking attacks appeared to be receding after blocking or shutting down dozens of Web sites for four consecutive days from Tuesday.

Internet users could not help but express shock and helplessness as the presidential office, the National Intelligence Service (NIS), the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and other government agencies were caught off guard by the so-called distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks. The attackers tried to overload their targets with a massive amount of simultaneous traffic via infected computers.

The attacks are the online equivalent of vandalism or terrorism. The DDoS attackers' aim was not to steal confidential information or data from the infiltrated sites, but to paralyze their operation. But this is not to say that the damage is not serious. Among those attacked were Kookmin Bank, Shinhan Bank and eBay's South Korean subsidiary Auction Corp. Especially, online auctioneers and shopping malls could suffer massive damage from such attacks.

We have to realize that cyber attacks might pose a grave threat to national security and defense, not to mention business, trade, finance, education, entertainment and communication. That's why countries around the world are stepping up their capability to wage a cyber war. South Korea, one of the world's most wired nations, is a global leader in information and telecommunication technology. But the country only proved that it is still poorly prepared to protect its online networks from potential enemies.

The government cannot avoid criticism for failing to make a quick response to the DDoS attacks at the initial stage. The Korea Communications Commission (KCC), the nation's telecommunication regulator, was slammed for issuing a belated cyber security warning. And the authorities have done little to prevent the attacks. Frankly speaking, policymakers and regulators do not know how to contain such attacks. Some critics cited the Lee Myung-bak administration's abolishment of the Ministry of Information and Communication as one of major reasons for a lack of cyber security.

Another problem is that the government's online networks are managed separately by the NIS, the KCC and the Ministry of Public Administration and Security. That is, there is no integrated management system. Therefore, it is urgent to establish such a system to effectively deal with the networks and fight against cyber attacks. It is also necessary to boost cooperation with the private sector to ensure cyber security. Besides, lawmakers are urged to pass a cyber crisis management bill, which was presented to the National Assembly nine month ago.

It is also required to track down the hackers. The NIS reported to the parliamentary intelligence committee Wednesday that it suspected that North Korea was behind the cyber attacks. It is too premature for the state spy agency to point a finger at the North although there is no evidence showing Pyongyang's involvement. South Korea needs to collaborate with the United States to identify the hackers who also allegedly attacked more than 14 American Web sites, including those for the White House, the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security.

A cyber war is often likened to a ``silent" war or World War III. Any country can no longer win a real war without fending off cyber attacks and guaranteeing cyber security. It goes without saying that national strength and competitiveness depend on cyber capability and preparedness.