“In addition to those conventional threats is the threat of cyberwarfare. Thus, the Saudi military exercises, dubbed the “Sword of Abdullah,” included training on electronic warfare, which is no less dangerous than conventional threats. Cyberattacks could target banks, desalination plants and airports, especially since Saudi Arabia’s cyberinfrastructure is still weak and considered high risk. The cyberattack on Aramco petroleum company in 2012 has shown that anyone can access one of the most important sites of the Saudi economy. According to former US officials, Iran may have been behind the attack, which targeted 30,000 computers and caused significant losses for Aramco. US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta described the Shamoon virus, which targeted Aramco, as the most destructive attack so far. Iran’s capabilities in electronic warfare are a challenge for the Gulf states, whose electronic infrastructure is weak. A report released in April by the Institute for National Security Studies in Israel (INSS) showed that Iran has cyberwarfare capabilities that make it one of the most active players on the international scene. Last February, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urged Iranian students to prepare for cyberwarfare…………….”
I was uncharacteristically flippant when I commented last week that “They called it “Abdullah’s Sword” possibly full of Freudian phallic symbolism. Still, isn’t that neighborly and downright sweet to call their war games after the King of Jordan?”
Since we are in the territory of suggestive macho names, let us do some comparisons.This is equivalent of the Russians calling their war games Putin’s Bare Chest (just keeping it appropriate for family news shows). Or the Americans calling theirs the Paws of Bo Obama (still beats Doo Doo of Bo Obama). Or Egyptians calling theirs suggestively Gun in the Pocket of Sisi.
Some older posts with more links on this: