With the advent of emerging technologies, the exercise of power and the rules of the game for military conflicts are moving toward a paradigm shift, featuring different strategies and surprising outcomes. The unrest in the Middle East worsened with the war between Israel and Iran. The attacks by Israel from its fighter jets on Iranian strategic sites and military installations were made possible after the communication and network systems of Iran had been paralyzed for a few hours. The swift retaliation from Iran was also made feasible after the restoration of its communication system within the country. This situation has never been witnessed at such a large scale.
Earlier, India and Pakistan’s four-day military conflict made history on different fronts. The foremost, most important, and surprisingly new phenomenon is cyberwarfare, paving the way for one military superiority over another. Surely, the role of military arms and ammunition, military strategy, and the skills of armed forces were given preference in every conventional way, but now this marks the beginning of an unconventional conflict fought in cyberspace, alongside ground, airfields, and oceans. The recent Pakistan-India military standoff has starkly illustrated how nations are now leveraging cyberspace not just for intelligence but as a critical combat domain.
The recent Pakistan-India military standoff has starkly illustrated how nations are now leveraging cyberspace not just for intelligence but as a critical combat domain.
During the latest escalation between Pakistan and India, there were credible reports from defense analysts and independent sources pointing to the use of electromagnetic and cyber tools to disrupt aircraft navigation systems and target communications infrastructure. In at least one instance, sophisticated satellite-based jamming systems were believed to have been used to interfere with ammunition guidance systems and military aircraft signals, temporarily disabling or misdirecting airborne weaponry. This incident underscores a transformative shift in military tactics. Instead of a direct missile strike, a carefully planted malware, a spoofed satellite signal, or a disabled GPS link can ground fighter jets or blind entire defense systems without a single shot being fired.
Cyberwarfare is not just about hacking websites or leaking documents; it is about controlling or crippling critical infrastructure such as electric grids, military command systems, air traffic control, and even satellite links. As countries like India and Pakistan modernize their military arsenals, incorporating drones, smart ammunition, and AI-driven logistics, the attack surface for cyber threats expands exponentially. For adversaries, this creates both opportunity and incentive to exploit digital vulnerabilities rather than risk physical confrontation.
One of the most pressing takeaways from this evolving landscape is the critical need for localized data security and infrastructure. Governments and defense organizations must prioritize storing sensitive data in secure, local data centers to minimize exposure to foreign surveillance or potential breaches through third-party cloud providers. Pakistan, in particular, needs to invest in strengthening cybersecurity frameworks for the future to maintain its superiority over enemies. Data is currency and an asset, whether it is strategic in nature, pertaining to state affairs, or providing information about businesses or customers. It should be protected at any cost.
By the grace of Allah Almighty, Pakistan’s public and private sectors are working on the localization of cyberspace, including the establishment of data centers to keep confidential yet public data within the boundaries of the country. We need to protect the data of our people in local data centers by migrating it from foreign outsourced data storage complexes. This is crucial, as conventional military conflict is over, but unconventional cyberwarfare is ongoing and can be highly challenging for us.
Different entities in Pakistan have established nearly 25 sophisticated data centers, including those belonging to the central bank, telecom companies, data service providers, and Datavault, which has set up the country’s first solar-powered data center. In the future, Pakistan must expand the capacity of sovereign data centers with military-grade encryption. It should enforce mandatory system and firmware updates across all critical IT and defense systems, provide training for cyber professionals specifically in military and infrastructure protection, and collaborate with allies to build resilient satellite communication protocols.
In a cyber war, an unpatched system is equivalent to an unlocked weapons vault. State-backed cyber attackers often exploit known vulnerabilities in outdated software and firmware. That’s why system updates-routinely ignored or delayed in civilian and even defense sectors-can be the frontline defense against potentially devastating breaches. Cybersecurity agencies across the globe stress the importance of zero-trust architecture, real-time threat detection systems, and the use of AI-driven anomaly detection. But the foundation of all these is consistent, well-managed updates and backups.
The writer is a freelance columnist.