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Military Asserts Right To Respond To Cyberattacks

Posted by samzenpus on from the protect-ya-neck dept.

Hugh Pickens writes "AP reports that National Security Agency director Lt. Gen. Keith Alexander says the US should counter computer-based attacks swiftly and strongly and act to thwart or disable a threat even when the attacker's identity is unknown. 'Even with the clear understanding that we could experience damage to our infrastructure, we must be prepared to fight through in the worst case scenario,' wrote Alexander in a 32-page Senate questionnaire he answered in preparation for a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on his nomination to head Cyber Command. Alexander offered a limited but rare description of offensive US cyber activities, saying the US has 'responded to threats, intrusions and even attacks against us in cyberspace,' and has conducted exercises and war games, adding that it is unclear whether or not those actions have deterred criminals, terrorists or nations."

11 of 177 comments (clear)

  1. Slippery slope... by pushing-robot · · Score: 4, Funny

    Let them respond to cyber attacks today and tomorrow they'll be asking if they can defend against physical attacks. I don't think we can afford to go down this road.

    --
    How can I believe you when you tell me what I don't want to hear?
    1. Re:Slippery slope... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      Sir! The attacks are coming from 127.0.0.1! Permission to engage?

    2. Re:Slippery slope... by poena.dare · · Score: 4, Funny

      You know how moderating is; just one +1 insightful and then your traveling down the slippery slope to more.

  2. Tell me again... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Why are essential systems connected to the internet?

    1. Re:Tell me again... by Capsaicin · · Score: 4, Funny

      Why are essential systems connected to the internet?

      Yeah, who let the military on the internet in the first place?!

      --
      Better to be despised for too anxious apprehensions, than ruined by too confident a security. --Edmund Burke
    2. Re:Tell me again... by Runaway1956 · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Uhhhh - huh?

      This is probably a good place to make wise cracks about the Army and the Air Force, comparing them to the Marine Corps (part of the Department of the Navy, in case you didn't know) but I really would like to know what you're smoking.

      Tell you what. Head on over to your closest Navy base, and try to get in. Take a group of friends, if you like. For best results, pick a nuclear capable base. Post back and tell us that the Corps isn't set to defend their bases physically. For that matter, you could choose someplace with nuclear capability and no marines.

      The same year that we evacuated Beruit City, we were invited to visit Crotone, Italy. All unbeknown to us, the local communists staged a riot, protesting our nuclear presence in Italy. The plan seemed to be to storm the ship, take the nukes hostage, and embarrass the United States.

      As part of the ship's defense force, I went out on the pier with 6 other guys, armed with M-14 rifles, while the gunner's mates set up M-2 machine guns on the bridge wings. The 5 inch guns were brought to bear on the city. We, the landing party, cleared the pier of rioters, then stood nose to nose with the carabinieri (spelling?) for an hour, while a couple local officials came aboard to talk to our captain.

      Fortunately, there was no bloodshed, but we would have detonated that nuke in the harbor to prevent a bunch of rioters from getting it. People with nukes are pretty damned determined to make sure that they cannot possibly ever be used against thier own country.

      Oh yeah. Compare that to the long list of "mistakes" that the Air Force has been found guilty of.

      --
      "Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it." - Charlie Br
  3. When we confirm much of it is coming from China... by joocemann · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ... will we realize that we should maybe consider possibly not putting nearly all of our business there?

    I realize we need china to support American materialism/consumerism. A cultural revolution could change that, though. I would much rather buy less, but of higher quality, as produced by my fellow citizens -- keeping the dollars in our own country and filling the bank accounts of people who otherwise wouldn't have had a job and would want my dollars anyway.

    Something to think about... When you buy American, you reinvest in your fellow citizens. I'm not a champion of nationalism, but we are far from world unity and the last thing our country needs is to keep sending our dollars elsewhere.

    When the one-world utopia happens, I'm all for it.

  4. Re:When we confirm much of it is coming from China by GrumblyStuff · · Score: 3, Funny

    ... will we realize that we should maybe consider possibly not putting nearly all of our business there?

    Well, yeah, but it's more of a question if it'll hold our attention long enou- ooh, Entertainment Tonight is on!

  5. We have always been at war with Cyberwar by headkase · · Score: 3, Informative

    There is an article related to this on TechDirt: Here. Basically everything from vandalism to espionage is being lumped under "Cyberwar." With vandalism being much the more prevalent. The issue of "Cyberwar" itself is mostly made for good talking points in the media, after all anything that drives readership drives advertisers and funding. Think you can actually get at a GPS satellites operating system over the internet?

    --
    Shh.
  6. Nixon on asymmetric warfare by shoppa · · Score: 4, Funny

    Perhaps the most wise thing Richard Nixon ever said:

    President Richard Nixon reflected this outlook when he decided in 1969 to abandon the U.S. offensive germ warfare program. "We'll never use the damn germs, so what good is biological warfare as a deterrent?" Nixon told his speechwriter William Safire. "If somebody uses germs on us, we'll nuke 'em."

  7. Re:So what's new? by CrimsonAvenger · · Score: 4, Informative

    Military flexes muscle, says they will respond with force, what's new?

    Actually, what he said is that he'd respond to attacks in cyberspace by counterattacking in cyberspace. No suggestion at all that we'd respond to cyber attacks with bombs/missiles/guns....

    --

    "I do not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"