Army Chief warns of cyber war
*No room for physical war against Sri Lanka
*Defence against cyber war, duty of all
Sandasen MARASINGHE
Army Commander Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya yesterday warned
that though there is no room to wage war to physically devastate the
nation, there is yet ample room to launch a cyber war through cyberspace
against Sri Lanka that could cause the same destruction.
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Army Commander Lieutenant General
Jagath Jayasuriya delivers the keynote address on Strategic
Dimensions of Cyber Warfare at the Cyber Warfare Workshop
yesterday. Picture by Thushara Fernando |
He made this observation delivering the keynote speech on Strategic
Dimensions of Cyber Warfare at the Cyber Warfare Workshop at the
Galadari Hotel. The Army Commander said that the number of enemies
looking forward to wage war against Sri Lanka through cyberspace is much
more than the LTTE. He added that we might never be able to know them
all and what their targets are. He said that we knew LTTE as our enemy
since they have been our enemy for almost 30 years.
Army Commander Jayasuriya explaining of danger of a possible cyber
attack stated that the CIA once showed a piece of code in the computer
which can even make an explosion even in a gas pipeline in a faraway
land without a missile or a bomb.
Lieutenant General Jayasuriya said that not only Armed Forces or
state leaders, but all Sri Lankans will be the targets if Sri Lanka is
attacked through cyberspace.
He added that it is not compulsory to attack the Government and its
Armed Forces to damage or destroy a nation.
The Army Chief said that an irreparable damage could be caused to a
nation if the servers that includes the financial information of
institutions such as banks which are connected to cyberspace were
attacked.
“The main responsibility of countering the civil war is the
responsibility of the Armed Forces,” the Army Commander said. “However
countering a possible cyber war which would definitely become a true
threat to this country very soon is not the responsibility of Armed
Forces alone.
It is the responsibility of yours as well.” Army Commander Jayasuriya
said that in combating cyber attacks, all of us, service providers,
banking sector, manufacturing sector, government sector together with
the Armed Forces must become soldiers and warriors before being victims.
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