U.S. Urged to Go on Offense in Cyberwar United Press International (09/29/08) Waterman, Shaun
as it appeared in the September 29, 2008 edition of ACM TechNews.
The United States needs to do more to develop its offensive cyberwar capabilities rather than focus solely on defending its networks from attack, says Rep. Jim Langevin (D-R.I.), the chairman of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Emerging Threats, Cybersecurity, and Science and Technology. Langevin called on the White House to declassify more of its Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative and said the Department of Homeland Security should be relieved of its lead role in defending the nation's computer networks. "Never again will we see major warfare without a strong cyber component executed as part of it," he says. Langevin's call to cyberarms highlights a debate in government surrounding how best to address the complex challenges posed by the U.S.'s dependence on the Internet and other computer networks, which could provide an exploitable vulnerability. A major issue analysts emphasize is the difficulty in determining the origins of cyberattacks. Former White House cybersecurity official Paul Kurtz has said that until the U.S. is better able to identify the origin of an attack, it is going to be very difficult to contemplate a military option and to respond appropriately. Another issue is that for any offensive capabilities to be a deterrent for adversaries, the U.S. military's cyberwar capacities would have to be made public. "As part of an overall doctrine and strategy in cyberspace, we need to consider what are the deterrent factors," says former assistant deputy director at the National Security Agency John Nagengast. Click Here to View Full Article
