中英双语新闻——28 Storms in cyberspace(在线收听) |
CYBERSPACE enables fast communications, electricity grids, international banking and military might. While we can’t live without the Web, its very openness has made individuals, organizations and even nations targets in this new era of cyber warfare. 网络实现了即时通讯、维护了高压输电网、便捷了国际金融业务以及加强了军事力量。一方面我们的生活离不开网络,而另一方面,开放的网络空间也将个人、组织甚至是国家处于新时代网络武器的威胁之下。
Last week, the US launched an exercise called Cyber Storm III. It was designed to simulate an all-out cyber attack in order to determine the readiness of US systems and infrastructure.
上周,美国发动了代号为“网络风暴3号”的演习。模拟了一个全面发动的网络攻击,以检验美国是否能应对这种打击,进而在计算机系统和基础设施上做好准备。
This is the third time that the US has run the biennial Cyber Storm exercise. In total, the exercise involved 13 countries, six US cabinet-level departments and 60 companies. It simulated more than 1,500 types of threat to critical government systems.
这是美国第三次进行“网络风暴”,该项演习每两年进行一次。这次演习总共有13个国家参与,涉及了美国6个内阁部门,以及60家公司。演习共模拟了1500种针对政府系统的袭击。
The signal is clear: the cyber warfare is no science fiction anymore.
演习发出了一个明显的信号:网络战不再是科幻小说了。
The concept of cyber warfare first became popular after the cyber attacks on Estonia in 2007 and on Georgia in 2008. Since then, cyber espionage and cyber attacks have become a staple of conflict among nations.
在2007年爱沙尼亚和2008年格鲁吉亚相继遭到网络袭击之后,网络战的概念才首次受到关注。网络间谍和和袭击也开始成为国家间主要争端。
China has also been the victim of cyber attacks. Within the first month of its launch in 2009, the Ministry of Defense website was attacked more than 2 million times.
中国也曾遭到过类似的网络攻击。2009年,就在其发动的第一个月里,国防部的官方网站就被袭击了200多万次。
If such attacks are a mere annoyance, then the recent computer worm Stuxnet represents the first use of a malicious program as an offensive weapon. It could mark a new and more threatening era for cyberspace.
如果说这类攻击只是骚扰的话,那么近来来“超级工厂蠕虫病毒”的大肆流行则表明,恶意程序已经开始成为具有攻击性的武器。这也许标志着新时代的网络空间将面对更多的威胁。
The worm has affected manufacturing and utility companies worldwide. Most of the systems infected are in Iran, and analysts have speculated that the worm was designed to cripple Iran’s Bushehr nuclear facility.
这种蠕虫病毒已经影响到了世界范围内企业的生产与运行活动。伊朗是感染这一病毒最多的国家,分析人士认为,这种蠕虫病毒的设计初衷,是造成伊朗布什尔核设施瘫痪。
Invisible weapons
无形的武器
According to James Lewis of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, cyber warfare is inevitable.
来自于华盛顿国际战略研究中心的詹姆斯?刘易斯认为,网络战是不可避免的。
“We are in the same place as we were after the invention of the aeroplane,” he told UK newspaper the Guardian. “It was inevitable someone would work out how to use planes to drop bombs. Militaries will now have a cyber-war capability in their arsenals.”
面对英国《卫报》的采访时,他说,“我们现在的处境就像是最初发明飞机一样,(发明飞机是一件大好事),但是不可避免的,有人会利用飞机投炸弹。同样的,当代的军队将具有打网络战的能力。”
The damage will be difficult to reverse. Sami Saydjari, head of the Cyber Defense Agency, a US-based information security company, told CBS that a country’s sovereignty is at risk in the face of cyber attacks.
这种损失很难弥补。为美国政府提供安全顾问的网络防御机构主席,萨米·赛伊贾里对哥伦比亚广播公司说,国家主权正处于网络袭击的威胁之中。
“Basically, our whole superpower status as the United States depends on computers,” he was quoted as saying. “We lose them, we lose our status as a superpower. We become a Third World country overnight.”
“美国超级大国地位的基础是计算机,失去了它们,我们就不再是超级大国,我们甚至会在一夜间沦落为第三世界国家。”
UK newspaper The Daily Telegraph gave a more concrete scenario: “for just $50 million and with 600 people working for two years, the US could be ‘paralyzed’ by a cyber attack.”
英报《每日电讯》描绘了一幅更形象生动的场景:“只要有5千万美元,加上600个人不间断地工作两年,美国就会因为网络攻击而‘瘫痪’。”
Along with the growth of the threat, a number of political, technological and ethical questions arise. In what sense could a cyber attack be war? Should we look at cyber weapons as those of mass destruction?
随着威胁的日趋增长,许多政治、技术和道德上的问题涌现出来。什么程度的网络袭击可以被称为战争呢?是否应该将网络攻击看作是大规模杀伤性武器呢?
Before we can answer questions like these, an international agreement is needed to limit cyber attacks. Through a UN working group, countries including the US, China and Russia have taken initial steps to devise some ground rules for cyber crime and cyber warfare.
回答这些问题之前,我们需要有一个国际协定来制约网络攻击。包括美国、中国和俄罗斯在内的一个联合国工作组,已经率先对于网络犯罪和网络战的基本规则进行设计。
A bigger concern is: when will the currently tightly-controlled cyber weapons fall into the hands of terrorists?
然而,更大的忧虑是:现在还被严密控制的网络武器,一旦落到恐怖分子手中会产生怎样的结果呢? |
原文地址:http://www.tingroom.com/lesson/zysyxw/200951.html |