Thanks for bringing up this subject, Andreas.
I'll just add that aggression (cyber-aggression perhaps?) requires
actors. And as Andreas points out, on January 27th the Pentagon
announced approval of US Cyber Command's expansion from 900 personnel to
4,900 troops and civilians.
WaPo (Jan 27) - "Pentagon to boost cybersecurity force" by Ellen Nakashima:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/pentagon-to-boost-cybersecurity-force/2013/01/19/d87d9dc2-5fec-11e2-b05a-605528f6b712_story.html
This five-fold expansion of personnel comes in the midst of threatened
Defense budget cuts (the "sequester") and a draw-down of overseas
engagements, which signifies something about its perceived necessity.
More importantly, DOD Cyber Command (which is right next door to the NSA
and led by the Director of the NSA) is staffing "combat mission forces"
now that DOD has the green light to perform offensive operations across
the Internet.
There is a difference between covert operations concealed in black
budgets (e.g., Stuxnet) and overtly embraced state-sanctioned
aggression. Remember that Stuxnet has proven it is quite possible for
actions initiated from the information environment to have kinetic
effects in physical space (destroying Iran's centrifuges IMO constitutes
an act of war).
I wonder how the Internet may change as a result of this slow,
methodical unfolding. And I do think we're embroiled in something quite
different than the hyperbolic language acts that have been occurring
since the early 90's. The language acts are precipitating the desired
result.
gf
On 1/31/13 2:26 AM, Andreas Bader wrote:
On 01-29-2013 the website http://www.syrian-martyrs.com/ got hacked.
On 01-30-2013 there was a man in the middle attack on GitHub (?).
On 01-27-2013 the Pentagon was boosting the "Cybersecurity Force".
On 01-14-2013 "Red October" was exposed.
And that were only the big incidents in this year. Things like that are
accumulating. Are we slipping in the cyberwar experts are warning of
since years?
I just want to initiate a discussion. Your opinions?
Sincerely,
Andreas
--
Gregory Foster || [email protected]
@gregoryfoster <> http://entersection.com/
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