Islamic State could DEFEAT the West online in World War III, warns security expert

World War III will take place online – and the West is woefully ill-prepared, John McAfee has warned

 

CONTROVERSIAL cyber security expert John McAfee believes the third World War will be fought online and religious extremist group Islamic State could defeat the West.

 

Days after technology billionaire Elon Musk cautioned that World War III could erupt at any time, cyber security expert John McAfee has claimed Islamic State could win.

Mr McAfee – the anti-virus software creator – has warned the United States and the West are only prepared for traditional warfare, not an online war.

He has claimed our "arsenal of bullets, bombs, tanks, planes, boats, missiles and our nuclear capabilities" will be of no use in future global conflicts.

Anonymous recently declared war on Islamic State.

 

"No one can predict the future," he wrote in an article for the International Business Times.

"We can make educated guesses or, more prudently, explore the different possibilities and scenarios. And for a scenario of cyber war we are woefully unprepared – one could even say defenceless.

"What good will tanks, planes and missiles be if you cannot locate the enemy to engage them? 

"And what will the outlook be for us as the enemy takes down massive pieces of our infrastructure at will, without ever setting foot on our shores?"

 

A spokesman for Anonymous has warned Islamic State to 'get prepared'

The news comes weeks after the Chancellor of the Exchequer revealed Islamic State militants plotted to kill Britons in a sophisticated cyberattack.

"ISIL are already using the Internet for hideous propaganda purposes; for radicalisation, for operational planning too," George Osborne said.

"They have not been able to use it to kill people yet by attacking our infrastructure through cyber attack. But we know they want it and are doing their best to build it."

 

Cyber security expert John McAfee believes ISIS could win a World War III

 



Daesh fighters waving their infamous jet-black flag



The Chancellor said public spending on cyber-security would be almost doubled to a total of £1.9 billion over the period to 2020.

We are living in a doomsday machine of our own design

John McAfee

 

Mr McAfee – whose fortune is believed to have peaked at £66 million – agrees with the emphasis on cyber warfare.

He explained that while "Islamic State may pay lip service to a medieval lifestyle" the terrorist organisation has "no difficulty using unencrypted social media tools like Twitter to communicate and recruit new members.

"If we are unable to protect our networks, everything connected to them can be infiltrated by hackers. 

"In our modern world this includes our power grid, nuclear power stations, planes, cars and our entire financial infrastructure.

"These will be the weapons of cyberwar – turned against us in a perversion of their intended purpose. We are living in a doomsday machine of our own design."

 

John McAfee is a controversial figure.

The anti-virus tycoon was arrested in September in the US on charges of driving under the influence and possession of a handgun under the influence.

He is currently running for President of the United States of America for a newly formed political party, dubbed Cyber Party.

"I am running the first purely electronic Presidential campaign," he announced.

 

"I will hold 'Fireside Chats', over the Internet, through which you and I can communicate, as if I were sitting in your living room. 

"I will not be coming to your city to shake your hand or kiss your babies, and for that I apologise, both to you and to your babies. 

"But I will make myself available in a way that no presidential candidate has yet done.

"If there is even one American that, at the end of my campaign, I do not represent, then I have failed and do not deserve to be your president."