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US/UK Will Stage 'Cyber-Attack War Games' As Pressure Against Encryption Mounts

Posted by Soulskill on from the do-you-want-to-play-a-game? dept.

An anonymous reader writes: British prime minister David Cameron is currently visiting Washington to discuss the future of cyber-security in Britain and North America. The leaders have announced that their respective intelligence agencies will mount ongoing cyber-attack "war games" starting this summer in an effort to strengthen the West's tarnished reputation following the Sony hacking scandal. Somewhat relatedly, a recently-leaked Edward Snowden document show the NSA giving dire warnings in 2009 of the threat posed by the lack of encrypted communications on the internet.

5 of 77 comments (clear)

  1. Um... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Encryption is one of the first defences against "cyber-attacks".

    It's like banning locks on doors to deal with the problem of burglaries.

    1. Re:Um... by jeffasselin · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Euh locks on doors don't stop burglars. They stop kids from doing petty vandalism. Burglars can easily pick your door locks, or will simply break a window to enter.

      Door locks are the equivalent of FTP server banner messages telling people "access is restricted to those authorized".

      What prevents burglaries in civilized countries is the social contract, and the fact that most people have a common moral and ethical sense that tells them it's wrong. The idea that you're better off working for a decent salary and that you should respect the property of others so they'll respect you is a basic logic that holds true in many places (less so nowadays in some countries where the working poor are worse every day).

      The reason it doesn't work on the Internet is because this contract falls apart because of distance and the anonymizing nature of the Internet. Not just the fact that bad guys can be pseudonymous, but because to them you're not a person, you're an IP address. It de-humanizes contact and makes it easier to justify bad behavior.

      Add to it the fact that there may be a small portion of people in a city or neighborhood who are lacking enough in morality to do burglaries, but in the whole world there's a lot more of them. And although they can't all break into your house, they can all break into your computer...

      --
      If he explores all forms and substances Straight homeward to their symbol-essences; He shall not die.
  2. Re:Cameron passed the NSA test by houghi · · Score: 3, Insightful

    As a European, please take a huge rope, tie it around the UK and drag it to the other side of the pool. And if you think you don't have enough space for another country, we will gladly take Canada.

    --
    Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
  3. Alternate idea by king+neckbeard · · Score: 3, Insightful

    How about, instead of playing war games, you use the same resources to actually secure the vital infrastructure that we get regular scare stories about, or audit widely used FOSS before the next shellshock or heartbleed?

    --
    This is my signature. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
  4. Gov warnings of lack of encryption by hattable · · Score: 3, Insightful

    This really shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. I think people forget that they exist to try and help advance the security of the internets, not listen to cheating husbands and wives for fun. Didn't they create SELinux, and the navy developed tor. Whether they are good or bad on the whole is a topic for another discussion but we shouldn't pretend that their mission statement is something like 'what 4th amendment' or 'internet cowboys without purpose'

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    OMG facts!