Cybergeddon

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Cybergeddon (from tech. cyber-, "computer", and Armageddon, from Hebrew Har Megiddo, "mountain of the final battle") is a popular term in computer security, the media and international relations for a hypothetical cataclysm caused by large-scale sabotage of computerised networks, systems and data flows. [1] [2] The scenario typically combines cyberterrorism, cyberwarfare, cybercrime and hacktivism into cascades of attacks capable of disrupting the Internet, critical infrastructure and global financial and industrial systems. [1]

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Commentators have used the term for worst-case futures in which attacks on targets such as banks, payment systems, power grids and industrial control systems trigger systemic economic collapse or prolonged social disruption. [3] [4] [5] The concept is closely related to expressions such as "cyber apocalypse", "cyber 9/11" and "cyber Pearl Harbor", which likewise denote large-scale, strategically significant cyber attacks. [6] [7]

Although some security professionals and policy documents have presented cybergeddon as a serious strategic risk, [3] academic and policy debates also include more sceptical views that see such apocalyptic scenarios as exaggerated compared to the empirical record of cyber operations. [6] [7] [8]

Terminology and origins

Cybergeddon is a combination of cyber-, associated with computers, digital networks and cyberspace, and Armageddon, a term from the Book of Revelation that in modern usage denotes an ultimate, catastrophic battle. [1] [6]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Gupta, Vishakha Om; Gupta, Arun R. (2015). "A Survey Paper: Cybergeddon". International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology. 3 (12): 1–4. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
  2. ↑ Goodwin, Bill (2014-01-17). "Internet at risk of 'cybergeddon' says WEF". Computer Weekly . Retrieved 2014-07-07.
  3. 1 2 Goodwin, Bill (17 January 2014). "Internet at risk of 'cybergeddon' says WEF". Computer Weekly. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
  4. ↑ Marks, Paul (30 June 2012). "Banking outage gives tiny glimpse of cybergeddon". New Scientist. 214 (2871): 5. doi:10.1016/S0262-4079(12)61651-0.
  5. ↑ Chirgwin, Richard (12 November 2012). "New report warns of SCADA CYBERGEDDON*". The Register. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
  6. 1 2 3 Stevens, Tim (April 2013). "Apocalyptic Visions: Cyber War and the Politics of Time". SSRN Electronic Journal. doi:10.2139/ssrn.2256370 . Retrieved 3 December 2025.
  7. 1 2 Shea, Jamie (Spring 2012). "We should not over-hype the cyber-threat" (PDF). Europe's World: 58–59. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
  8. ↑ "Why Hasn't Russia Unleashed 'Cybergeddon' in Its War on Ukraine?". Russia Matters. 4 May 2022. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
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