Originally associated with technology, coding has become much more important lately, offering a unique approach to a different type of organization. Different programming languages can also be used to produce sophisticated cyber weapons, often described as guns of the future.
Cyber weapons have evolved a bit lately, so they’re varied and can include malware, backdoors and many other alternatives. They’re often used in crime, but they’re also associated with corrupt governments and international affairs.
In other words, specialists believe you can go to GunsNPrices and use the guns and ammo search engine to buy an antique or rare gun, but you can also invest in a programming course and become a futuristic coder.
With the evolution of technology, chances are cyber weapons may take over from classic guns at some point in the future. These being said, here are some of the top cyber weapons used these days.
Stuxnet
Stuxnet is a computer worm. It’s quite common, yet not as easy to identify. Believe it or not, it’s mainly known for affecting Iran’s nuclear program. Once in there, it infected the whole system and caused it to malfunction.
The worm targeted the country’s nuclear facilities back in 2010, causing a lot of damage and significantly slowing the program.
NotPetya
It’s hard to describe NotPetya because some see it as a ransomware attack, while others see it as a problematic malware that gives others access to private data. The program gained notoriety in 2017, when it affected more companies all over the world.
It was mainly known to damage Maersk’s internal systems, but it also affected Merck, a prolific pharmaceutical company.
WannaCry
WannaCry is in a similar situation. The coding malware is mostly recognized as an international attack over systems and computers from all over the world. At its peak in 2017, it affected nearly 250,000 computers in about 150 countries.
The malware was so prolific that it damaged systems belonging to banks, medical facilities and even governmental agencies.
Triton
Triton was malware created with a very straightforward purpose. Its main role was to infect and damage industrial control systems from all over the world.
The malware managed to target some safety systems associated with gas and oil facilities, so it’s extremely advanced and difficult to eliminate.
FinFisher
Unlike other cyber weapons, FinFisher hasn’t really been used by criminals. Instead, it was a sophisticated piece of software used by governments in quite a few countries. Its primary role was to act like a spyware program.
FinFisher was mainly used to keep an eye on journalists and dissidents, as well as their work against governments.
BlackEnergy
There are no official records regarding BlackEnergy or who created it. However, there are rumours associating it with the Russian government, yet there’s no evidence whatsoever. The association with Russia was caused by the fact that it only attacked Ukraine.
The malware toolkit was mainly used against power grids all over Ukraine. It was quite notorious in 2015 and 2016. At its peak, it caused power outages all over the country.
Tsunami
Tsunami is often referred to as Linux Backdoor as well. If you thought Linux systems are less vulnerable than Windows computers, you should know there are quite a few threats as well.
The malware is still used by hackers today in order to provide remote access to different computers. The program is associated with a few major hacking groups in the world, but it’s not exclusive to them only.
Once on a computer, it allows the people behind it to fully control the respective system. Attackers can download or upload files as well, not to mention gaining access to private data.
PlugX
PlugX works in a similar manner. Once installed on a system, it allows full control of the respective computer. This means hackers may also have access to private and sensitive data, but monitoring activities is just as common.
PlugX is often used in conjunction with other malware programs.
Bottom line, cyber weapons are quite varied and the bad news is they keep evolving. Knowing about the top 8 cyber weapons shows how powerful and complex these tools are in the online world. While coding does have countless benefits in the civilized world, like anything else out there, it can also be used with negative purposes, whether by hackers, criminals or even governments.
