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Cyber War Mass Hysteria Is Hindering Security

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the hysteria-is-hawesome dept.

jhernik writes "International cyber threat initiatives are in danger of becoming overblown, the US government's security chief told the RSA Conference in San Francisco. 'Cyber war is a terrible metaphor,' said the US government's cybersecurity czar Howard Schmidt. 'Don't make it something it's not.' Internet attacks from hackers, spies and terrorist groups deserves serious attention, he said, but this should not be 'to the extent of mass hysteria.'"

4 of 75 comments (clear)

  1. Hes right but... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    How is this any different from The War on Drugs, The War on ChildPorn, The War on Terror??

    One way...

    American businesses lose money if there is mass hysteria & people use the internet less.
    There was no downside to the mass hysteria on The Wars on Things except for the truth
    being lost in the FUD.

    1. Re:Hes right but... by HeckRuler · · Score: 4, Insightful

      There was no downside to the mass hysteria on The Wars on Things

      Buuwha!? I'm sorry, have you been under a rock or something?
      The mass hysteria over the war on drugs made the USA have one of the highest incarcerations per captia in the world.
      The mass hysteria over the war on childporn has given oppressive assholes the shoehorn to wantonly take over 85,000 websites. By accident.
      The mass hysteria over the war on terror has made flying a sexually abusive experience, and let Bush invade two nations, and arguably lead to hundreds of thousands of deaths.

      But oh hey, CORPUSA didn't lose their profit margins, so it must not be all that bad.

  2. Think of the chiiiiiiiildren! by Drakkenmensch · · Score: 3, Insightful

    But but but... without mass hysteria, how are we going to divert economic assistance to the poor into funding government initiative aimed at revoking civil liberties?!?

  3. Re:Sheez man, get with the plot. by camperdave · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Mass hysteria doesn't work in cyberspace. Mass hysteria only works on unwashed masses, not on a hacker culture with a long history of circumventing barriers, especially artificially imposed barriers. In cyberspace, everyone can hear you scream, so you have to be subtle. A deep packet inspection here, a closed port there. If you go off darking fiber willy-nilly, you'll awaken the wrath of the hackers on their home turf. You won't know what hit you.

    --
    When our name is on the back of your car, we're behind you all the way!