As cyber battles grow more violent, hack attacks more blatant, risks more dramatic, the world's political opponents rush to protect themselves. The US and China seem to have strongest cyber armies, and the winner may have already been determined.
A series of hacking attacks on US corporations and infrastructure facilities show the United States is losing its cyber war with China, says the chairman of the US House Intelligence Committee, Mike Rogers.
"They [the Chinese] use their military and intelligence structure to [steal] intellectual property from American businesses, and European businesses, and Asian businesses, repurpose it and then compete in the international market against the United States," Rogers told ABC.
Earlier in February, American data company Mandiant reported to have tracked 141 cyber attacks performed by the same Chinese hacker group since 2006, 115 of which turned against US corporations. Rogers says there is "not a shadow of a doubt" the attacks were sponsored by the Chinese government. He says it's just the tip of the iceberg and on average the US is subjected to at least 140 attacks per day.
"We get [hit] every single day by a whole series of attacks, everything from criminals trying to get into your bank account or steal your identity, to nation states like China who are investing billions and hiring thousands," he said.
China denies any involvement by the government or the military in hacking attacks, saying the Mandiant report lacks any proof of its charges.
Geopolitical analyst William Engdahl believes US 'cyber war' rhetoric aims to demonize China.
"I think what we're looking at is part of this Obama pivot to focus on China and to paint China as a new military threat to the world. It's a demonization of China," he told RT.
But former Pentagon official Michael Maloof says the threat is very real, as China is engaging in a form of asymmetrical warfare being orchestrated by the People's Liberation Army.
Maloof says that this form of sixth generation warfare has political, economic and military implications.
While the US complains about being a victim of cyber attacks, it's well known its government has been behind major international cyber attacks against strategic objects of other nations. A computer virus known as StuxNet infected Iran's nuclear enrichment facilities, destroying nearly 1,000 of the country's 6,000 centrifuges. According to reports, the virus, made entirely out of code, was a joint collaboration between the US and Israel.
The Pentagon has reportedly decided to double its cyber war workforce from 900 to more than 4500 employees. The new US 'cyber defense' strategy cannot but worry the other world players, leading as far as a 'US-China Cold War', RT's correspondent Marina Portnaya reports.
"In terms of a Pandora's box, I think it will be slighter harder for the United States to adopt a position of purely defense now. We've sort of made it clear that we're willing to use cyber in advance of our national interest." Allan Friedman from Washington's Brookings Institute told RT.
There is little doubt the cyber espionage and rivalry has already turned into battlefield and is viewed by the military as such.
"Every commander with whom I have spoken is convinced that the next major war will include a cyber component," journalist Tom Gjelton told RT. "It won't just be a traditional insurgency, bombing from aircraft, ground troops; the next war, almost certainly, will include a cyber component," he confirms.