gekacei
gekacei
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The line between the battlefield and civilian life is increasingly becoming indistinct, as military-scale cyber operations now threaten civilian organizations like hospitals and small businesses, according to Colonel Clarence Cai, commander of the Defence Cyber Command.
During the ST Engineering Cybersecurity Summit 2025 last week, Cai emphasized that traditional notions of national security, which distinguished soldiers from civilians and threats from targets, are no longer valid. He pointed out that civilian entities are now being targeted with the same precision as military campaigns.
“You wouldn’t ask your local mama shop to face down a T-72 tank, but in cyberspace, that’s almost what’s happening,” he remarked, highlighting that organizations across sectors, including supermarkets and SMEs, are under threat from malicious actors.
Notably, he cited Marks & Spencer's recent ransomware attack, which resulted in a staggering £300 million loss, to illustrate the severity of the issue. “While the tanks may not roll in physically, the digital equivalent of a precision strike has occurred,” Cai noted.
Cai warned that adversaries are shifting their focus from traditional weapon platforms to the essential digital infrastructure of civilian life. He observed recent cyberattacks in the Middle East that ran parallel to missile strikes, disrupting air traffic, spoofing GPS, and affecting healthcare and financial services.
A concerning global trend has emerged, where critical infrastructure such as ports and utilities are targeted not for immediate disruption but to identify vulnerabilities and plan for future conflicts. “The modern front line begins where vulnerabilities exist, not just where uniforms are,” stated Cai.
Moreover, adding artificial intelligence (AI) into the mix escalates the threat landscape significantly, with attackers utilizing AI to exploit vulnerabilities at unprecedented speeds. Cai explained that while defenders typically focus on linear inputs, attackers think in terms of complex relationships and dependencies.
As he concluded, transforming cybersecurity requires a paradigm shift to think like attackers, ensuring that defenses are equipped to combat increasingly sophisticated threats.
