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HYLAND STUXNET's ability to deliver strategic effect appears at this stage to have been quite limited, so the effectiveness of second generation, high- end cyber-weapons – even when successfully deployed, though probably better than first generation weapons – is by no means guaranteed. If STUXNET is any kind of exemplar for high-impact cyberweaponry, we may expect second generation high-end weapons to be targeted very specifically to achieve effects against a precise set of enemy targets, and for those weapons to have a relatively short life expectancy (essentially until the target's software receives a significant upgrade). ese factors in combination suggest that second generation highimpact cyber-weapons might resemble handcrafted rather than massproduced artifacts, and have a relatively short life expectancy. is may indicate that high-impact cyber-weapons intended to deliver strategic effect will be relatively few in number, even for major powers; making them significantly different to weapons of mass destruction in the Cold War era. Ultimately, the ability of such high-impact cyber-weapons to deliver strategic effect has yet to be conclusively demonstrated. Low-impact Cyber-Weapons and the Corrosion of International Relations One of the consequences of STUXNET has been the proliferation of low impact cyber-attacks, both in the Gulf region and globally. Increasingly widespread technical knowledge and the unhampered distribution of cyber-technology are enabling an untrammeled upsurge in cyber- weapons. e cyber-weapons used in recent attacks appear to be intended to cause reputational damage and to make political points rather than to deliver strategic effect. For some governments, such low-impact cyber- weapons will be attractive: they are relatively inexpensive and fairly easy to develop with a moderately well-developed base in academic/business