Cyber Wars: The Next Battlefield?

As the above Time Magazine cover suggests, a future war may be fought in cyber space!  Indeed, some would suggest we may already be there. 

This week, according to Fox News and other news sources, the F.B.I. has executed forty search warrants around the country which might be part of an ongoing investigation of a recent cyber attack, called "Operation Payback."  This cyber attack was reportedly conducted by members of a group called "Anonymous," and was allegedly in retaliation against companies such as PayPal, MasterCard, and Visa, after the companies had reportedly dropped support for WikiLeaks.  According to the news reports, the focus of the Cyber attack was to overload and shut down the computer systems of these companies.  Five arrests of  members reportedly associated with the cyber attack have already been made in England.  It will be interesting to see what happens next in this criminal investigation.

Can you imagine the potential damage that could be done in a widescale cyber attack?  Sometimes, the future of white collar crime, technology, and war don't look too bright, don't you agree?