Today’s weapon of choice, its expanding dimensions

#GS-03 Internal Security

What is known as Grey Zone Operations:

Grey Zone Operations can be defined as the using of operational space between peace and war to change the status quo through the use of coercive actions which remain below a threshold in order to prevent a conventional military response.
Cyber warfare, Espionage, Assassinations, use of non-state actors are few examples of Grey Zone Operations.

In the wake of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the world seems to become more and more aware of artificial intelligence (AI)-driven military innovations and ‘potential crisis hot zones’, along with references to new forms of hybrid warfare.
However, there is very little convesation about the threat posed by cyber-attacks along with the new reality of the ‘weaponisation of everything’ which has entered the vocabulary of threats.
Grey Zone Operations are already beginning to be employed to undermine the vitals of a state’s functioning, a trend likely to grow.
The convergence of emerging technologies alongside new hybrid usages, pose several challenges to nations and institutions.

Cyber space has been described as a superset of interconnected information and communication technology, hardware, software processes, services, data and systems.
Hence it is evident that it constitutes a critical aspect of our national power.
The cyber threat is all-pervading, embracing many regions and operating on different planes.
Hence, dealing with the cyber threat calls for both versatility and imaginative thinking.
As a general rule, it takes a long time for the general public to become aware of the nature and consequences of cyber-attacks.
At first these look like random accidents, and it takes sophisticated cyber forensics to understand the contours of such attacks.
In the case of the Russia-Ukraine war, cyber space has become an experiment for various players to try and support a weaker nation against a more powerful opponent, through distortion of information and communication flows.