The study finds that the term "cyberwar" is now "overhyped" as it is used for all kinds of things, including activities that used to fall under the category of espionage or sabotage. Indeed, Denial of Service (DoS) attacks related to WikiLeaks have also been called cyberwar even though they only constituted blockades.
Der Begriff Cyberwar sei ohnehin mittlerweile "over-hyped", er werde sehr inflationär und bereits zur Beschreibung von Aktivitäten benutzt, die in der Vergangenheit nur als Spionage oder Sabotage bezeichnet wurden. Selbst DoS-Attacken in Zusammenhang mit WikiLeak würden nun als Cyberwar bezeichnet, obwohl es sich nur um Blockaden handele.
Read more: OECD-Studie: Ein echter Cyberwar ist unwahrscheinlich
The head of the UN International Telecommunications Union (ITU) has told delegates at the ITU Telecom World 2009 conference that the next big war will most likely be fought online.
Hamadoun Touré said that countries are becoming increasingly dependent on the internet to control basic services, and that any future war could focus more on the online world, since such a battle would allow weaker adversaries to fight on a level playing field with larger powers.