You never know when the day before—is the day before.Under the most likely scenarios, the effects of a cyber war on most businesses are more likely to be disruptive than apocalyptic for two main reasons. Cyber intrusions can immobilize your business operations for hours and maybe days. Modern critical infrastructures tend to have enough built-in stop-gap measures and protections to prevent a cataclysmic crash of the entire power grid simultaneously or for an extended period.The business of cyber terrorism is growing in many directions. There is a growing gray market for cyber weapons able to exact more powerful exploits—directed against utility and industrial control systems. These hacking tools are becoming more readily available to governments of smaller nations and even non-state groups, like ISIS, that would have less to lose in a cyber exchange than a major power. In addition, the number of potential targets of hacker activity is growing exponentially as technological advances allow interconnectivity of networks subject to being targeted.The accelerating globalization of many business entities will also leave them increasingly vulnerable to disruption from cyber war even if it does not involve their home government.
