Eugene Kaspersky warns that the internet could become a war zone

Kaspersky made these interesting observations in an interview with German newspaper Der Spiegel, noting that, whilst counter the latest viruses or malware are a challenge, it is important not to lose sight of the fact that every virus is a crime.

He also warned that the war against malware cannot be won, because it only has perpetrators and victims. "Out there, all we can do is prevent everything from spinning out of control. Only two things could solve this for good, and both of them are undesirable: to ban computers - or people", he noted.

A realist in the modern world, he says, will keep practising with their weapons which - in the case of IT security - are the equivalent of a Kalashnikov in the real world.

"Even the Americans are now openly saying that they would respond to a large-scale, destructive internet attack with a classic military strike", he said.

"But what will they do if the cyber-attack is launched against the United States from within their own country? Everything depends on computers these days: the energy supply, airplanes, trains. I'm worried that the Net will soon become a war zone, a platform for professional attacks on critical infrastructure", he added.

According to Kaspersky, these types of attacks have already happened, citing the example of Stuxnet, although he noted that the Israeli intelligence people - who he continues to blame for Stuxnet, Infosecurity notes - "unfortunately doesn't send us any reports."

"There was a lot of talk - on the internet and in the media - that Stuxnet was a joint US-Israeli project. I think that's probably the most likely scenario. It was highly professional work, by the way, and one that commands a lot of respect from me", he said.

"It cost several million dollars and had to be orchestrated by a team of highly trained engineers over several months. These were no amateurs; these were total professionals who have to be taken very seriously. You don't get in a fight with them; they don't mess around", he added.

Kaspersky went on to warn that an internet-wide version of a supervirus like Stuxnet could cause considerable damage.

"Do you remember the total power outage in large parts of North America in August 2003? Today, I'm pretty sure that a virus triggered that catastrophe. And that was eight years ago", he noted.

The Kaspersky Lab CEO went on to describe the Anonymous hacktivist group as not having caused any major damage yet, although this does not mean he supports the group's aim.

"Some of these people have good intentions and are merely trying to draw attention to security loopholes. But there are also those with bad intentions. Imagine you left the key in your front door. Some would call to let your know, whereas others would spread the news throughout the entire city that your front door is open. That's Anonymous; it's unpredictable", he explained.

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