Dependence on the Internet for voice communications and data distribution will increase the likelihood of cyberwarfare, a high-tech research firm said Thursday. Much like the nuclear threat during the Cold War in the last century, cyberwarfare is a potential catastrophe that the U.S. and other nations must be prepared to combat, Gartner Inc. said. Given the rate of adoption of Internet-based technology, nations will have the ability to conduct cyberwarfare by 2005. “The world’s not going to hell in a hand basket, so we can get that off the table,” David Fraley, author of the recent Gartner report, said. “What’s important for people to do is continuity planning — be aware of the different threats and vulnerabilities that could hit their organizations.” Organizations could suffer irreparable harm if they don’t have a strategy for keeping their businesses running, if facilities are unable to operate. Full Story