Now, one of the leading experts, the Russian math genius Eugene Kaspersky has issued a warning that such a cyber 'world war' may be imminent.

Kaspersky, the brains behind one of the top anti-virus products on the market, points to recent national security threats such as Stuxnet and others. Programs designed to infiltrate, raid, monitor, or damage computer systems were first employed by individual hackers, and then criminals, and now sovereign states and terrorist organizations.

Kaspersky sees the trend continuing and worsening.