Types of warfare:
Kinetic warfare:
Traditional warfare involving physical force — bullets, bombs, tanks, missiles, soldiers, drones.
Non Kinetic warfare:
Warfare that does not rely on physical force to harm the enemy but aims to disrupt, influence, or disable.
Types of non kinetic warfare
Cyber Warfare — Hacking, disabling infrastructure, stealing data.
Electronic Warfare (EW) — Jamming, spoofing, EMP attacks.
Information Warfare — Propaganda, psychological ops, disinformation.
Economic Warfare — Sanctions, trade disruption, financial attacks.
Cognitive Warfare — Targeting beliefs, perceptions, and decisions of populations.
1. Web defacement:
It is a cyberattack where hackers gain unauthorized access to a website and alter its content, usually replacing the homepage with propaganda, threats, or false messages.
Its has happened during OP Sindoor.
2. Distributed Denial of Service(DDOS) attack:
A DDoS attack floods a website or online service with massive fake traffic from multiple sources, overwhelming it and making it slow or completely inaccessible to real users.
Example: Hackers do DDoS attack on payments, railways, airport , government websites to not let the people use them so that it reduces the productivity.
3. Phishing attacks & Ransomeware
A phishing attack tricks people into revealing sensitive information (like passwords, OTPs, or credit card details) by pretending to be a trusted source— usually through fake emails, messages, or websites.
Ransomware is a type of malware that locks or encrypts your files and demands a ransom (usually in cryptocurrency) to restore access.
Example : Ukraine power grid attack Attackers used phishing emails to install malware (BlackEnergy, later Industroyer).Gained access to SCADA systems (used to control power substations).Remotely opened circuit breakers, cutting off electricity in major cities for few hours.
4. APT (Advanced Persistent Threats)
APT refers to a stealthy, sophisticated cyberattack where a well-funded group (often a nation-state) gains unauthorized access to a network and stays hidden for a long time to steal data or disrupt systems.
Example: APT29 (Cozy Bear) — SolarWinds Attack (2020)
In the SolarWinds attack (2020), Russian-linked group APT29 hacked the company’s software updates, infecting 18,000+ organizations, including U.S. government agencies. It was a sophisticated espionage campaign to steal sensitive data and spy undetected.
Economic warfare
Asset Freezing: Locking a nation’s or leaders’ financial resources abroad. USA froze $300B Russian money , which are in USA banks
Cyberattacks on Financial Systems: Disrupting banks, stock exchanges, or payment networks (e.g., SWIFT system threats).
Trade Wars: Imposing tariffs and restrictions (e.g., U.S.–China tech trade war). Yemen’s Houthis(militant group funded by Iran , supporter of Palestine) attacked others countries chips near Red Sea(where majority of the trade by water happen) so that these countries put pressure on Israel to withdraw from Palestine war.