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Keep in mind that "cyber attack" can be a cover for other types of attack. It creates this convenient image of "hackers press a button and things blow up" to d
by borplk 6y ago
Keep in mind that "cyber attack" can be a cover for other types of attack.
It creates this convenient image of "hackers press a button and things blow up" to divert attention away from the reality.
I wouldn't be so quick in believing it being a cyber attack.
- slg 6y agoWouldn't both the perpetrator and the victim have to be in on that deception? Why would both parties go along with that?
- ehsankia 6y agoThat's not quite what happened. First, Iran blamed it on cyberattack, then Israeli media took credit for it, because why the hell would they not? It's also not even confirmed, just assumed: > Israeli public broadcaster Kan said that it could be assumed that the incident was an Israeli cyber operation, citing the discovery in 2010 of the Stuxnet computer virus
- slg 6y ago>That's not quite what happened. I wasn't saying one way or another what happened. But a physical military attack by Israel would be much more frowned on by the international community than a cyberattack. In that situation, what motivation is there for Iran to conceal that to the benefit of Israel?
- ehsankia 6y agoHmm, well I assume it is a bit shameful to get hacked on the very day it opens, especially after the whole Stuxnet kerfuffle, so they may want to underplay the damage done.
- PartiallyTyped 6y agoIt makes one seem mighty, and it makes the other not seem as incompetent. If the attack was 'unprecedented', or 'unexpected' or 'sophisticated' then the people responsible from the victim's team are absolved of their failures and mistakes while the other side gets to look good and mighty.
- slg 6y agoBut doesn't the "we weren't expecting it" excuse work much better for a physical attack? You always have to be vigilant of a cyberattack. It is neither "unprecedented" or "unexpected". Meanwhile the victim usually receives very little blame after a sneak military attack. "Israel launched an unprovoked military attack against a non-military target" seems like it would play better both domestically and internationally than what basically amounts to "they outsmarted us".
- PartiallyTyped 6y agoCertain kinds of attacks really are just that, unexpected, even if they are cyber attacks. See for example the recent attack against the US. The media was quick to praise the attack as unprecedented and sophisticated, when in reality, it wasn't anywhere close to something like stuxnet.
- dogma1138 6y agoIt can also be a cover for no attack. The blackout happened when a previously unused part of the site was being brought online it could’ve been simply a normal fault. Calling it a cyber attack may be beneficial for both parties, the administrators of the site get to save face, and the Israelis would happily take credit unofficially because they know that it would cause a longer delay because now the Iranians will be scrubbing their networks. If they’ll also be replacing some equipment such as PLCs it opens the site to future attacks if any entity has the ability to compromise the supply chain.
- Synaesthesia 6y agoKeep in mind it's also considered an act of war, not the first such attack on Iran and their scientists.