Many of you may be asking, what is cybergeddon? Until recently it has been a term that few people have talked about however, with the emergence of 5th generation warfare and hactivism the world has become a more dangerous place. As we evolve to embrace the new technologies at a very fast pace, the importance of Cyber Security has has grown with it.
5th Generation Warfare
5th generation warfare is something that has recently been talked about by a small handful of military leaders however, it is the natural evolution of warfare. First generation(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generations_of_warfare#:~:text=First%2Dgeneration%20warfare%20refers%20to,soldiers%20governed%20by%20the%20state.) warfare was fought with large armies using crafted tools such as phalanx, second generation warfare was the introduction of muskets and gunpowder, third generation warfare focused on speed and fourth generation warfare was the decentralization of the military where private companies like the Wagner Group are contracted by governments to wage war on their behalf. The introduction of 5th generation warfare means that wars will be fought less on the battlefield and more in the public square.
The average person, when thinking about war, thinks that future wars will be fought on the battlefield like WW2 or Vietnam however, there is little public support for wars with heavy casualties. This has caused state actors to change the way they wage war from the battlefield to Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Most people are unaware that America lost Vietnam due to tactics commonly used in 5th generation warfare. If you ask anyone who lived during that time they will tell you that when support for the war was lost at home, the Vietnam war was lost. Ho Chi Mihn and the Communists were able to infiltrate our society and erode us from within through protests and showing what was really happening in Vietnam. Although it may not be talked about, the American government took note and has prepared to master this new form of warfare.
The average person does not realize that America has been defending itself from this new type of warfare since 2020 starting with the misinformation surrounding the election. As Americans we are tied to technology and it is easy to get a story to take traction for both sides. As a result it has caused an even wider division within our country that has led to protests and other forms of civil unrest. You may think that this was the end, but it was only the beginning. Since the 2020 election America has dealt with an increasing amount of Cyber Attacks from state and non-state actors that have attacked our financial institutions, food supply and energy production. Over the last couple of years we have even seen single individuals, not armies, attack power stations and incite civil unrest over issues that would otherwise be non-controversial such as the George Floyd protests. Unfortunately America is at war and doesn’t even know it because the information provided is either suppressed or spun in such a way that it has sown even more distrust.
In the modern era of the 3rd millennium wars will be waged over the internet. This in turn will lead to a revolution in Cyber Security to protect privacy and property from those who would like to cause harm. As society adjusts to this new form of warfare there will be a lot of confusion and distrust in the institutions that were formerly trustworthy such as the MSM or government officials. There is a passage in the Christian Bible that talks about how every man’s sins will be posted on his door, I think it was a revelation of the current times we live in now with 5th generation warfare.
Hactivism
If you thought that 5th generation warfare was scary, hactivism should scare you even more. There is nothing more scary than one individual who, in their own mind, thinks their point of view or way of life should be imposed on the masses. As climate change angst grows there will be more and more people who will use their knowledge of technology to wage war with those who they deem to be a threat regardless of facts.
If you remember the Occupy Wall Street movement in 2008-09, what would happen if another event happened similar to that experience? How many individuals would take their knowledge to rob banks of their digital currency, indirectly robbing their neighbor, in a random act of vigilanteism? If people were no longer able to purchase food, would it be because a hactivist attacked food processing plants over cow farts or would they attack those same institutions because they felt wronged in some way? The human being is an emotional creature and as 5th generation warfare is waged globally, what are the unintended consequences that could be detrimental to society as a whole?
As an individual you are more likely to be affected by Hactivism than 5th generation warfare because activists are targeting what we consider modern conveniences. There are many groups out there like Antifa who want to re-establish segregation and racist policies, PETA who want to stop the cruel treatment of animals and far right groups who want a more authoritarian style of government while wrapping themselves in the the cry for freedom. All of these groups have ideologies that are militant towards our modern society. Humans are humans, so there will always be someone who takes their fanaticism to the extreme. How likely is it that one of those fanatics will implement something that may be destructive to society and your way of living?
Being Prepared
So you might be asking yourself, how would an individual prepare for a scenario like this? Does this mean I need to hoard more or is there something else I should do? Gathering food and other resources is only a small part of what you as an individual can do to prepare. This is the time where I start to talk to you about digital literacy and the importance of it.
Digital literacy in this instance means that you are able to use technology to your benefit through self education. The importance to digital literacy in a Cybergeddon scenario is important because, you as an individual, need to know how to protect yourself from threats to your way of life. Your car has a computer in it which means it can be hacked, your phone is a computer so it can be hacked, your printer and computer are connected to a network so it can be hacked and so on. Taking the time to educate yourself how to secure the technological products you need and rely on daily is the first and most important thing you can do to lesson the impact of Cyber threats to you and yours.
There are many ways you can do this and a lot of it requires you to change your way of thinking and conduct. Weather it be a smartphone or a PC, most of the business you do publicly is done using these mediums, so wouldn’t it behoove you to educate yourself on device security. There are many ways you can do this such as reading a book, taking free online classes or asking a friend or family member to share their knowledge with you.
Also, you may want to consider the operating system that you are using. There are some major factors that you should consider when choosing and OEM. Your Operating System is going to be your first line of defense, I’ve found that Linux is one of the most secure Operating Systems you can use for many reasons that I’ll let you figure out on your own. The mainstream OS’s put out by OEM’s tend to be out of the box configurations that may leave many vulnerabilities as they attempt to do your thinking for you, whereas with Linux it requires that you configure your machine to your liking to meet your security needs therefore everything is turned off until you turn it on.
Secondly there are institutions such as your bank that you cannot protect, that is unless you’re working in their Cyber Security department. Learning how to secure your property is just one thing you can do, but you can also take this as an opportunity for a career to secure your neighbor and community. The wars of the future will not be fought on the battlefield, but will be fought using computers and technology such as a smartphone or laptop. This means that you don’t have to enlist in the military or meet certain health standards to serve and protect your country and community.
Over the next few months, here on hoboprepper.com we will be covering topics like this to help you prepare yourself and take advantage of the opportunities that this knowledge will present. Although you may be looking around and thinking that this may be a little bit overwhelming, don’t worry, I have established relationships with those who will be able to share information that will help you prepare for the future that is at hand. Although those who I connect with may want their anonymity, they are also willing to share their knowledge because they feel it’s their patriotic duty to do so, so stay tuned until next time.
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