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NSA Director Argues For "Red Button" Autonomy Against Unattributed Cyber-Attacks
An anonymous reader writes U.S. Navy Adm. Michael S. Rogers — director of the National Security Agency and Commander of United States Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM) — has suggested that cyber-attacks can begin and escalate so quickly that USCYBERCOM would need powers to retaliate immediately, without (as it is currently obliged) referring the matter to the United States Strategic Command. In testimony to the "House Armed Services Committee on cyber operations and improving the military's cybersecurity posture" on March 4th, Adm. Rogers argues for "development of defensive options which do not require full attribution to meet the requirements of law and international agreement."
The level of automation required to make that National Security Statist's wet-dream a reality will offer multiple high-value targets to nefarious persons of criminal and warlike intent.
I guess as lo
You're looking for quotes? See my journal.
If someone shoots at you, don't bother finding out who it was, just start shooting random people.
Who ordered that?
The NSA has been listening in on the data of everyone it can, and wants the ability to do so without any oversight. Now, it wants to ability to retaliate without oversight? The NSA is one "colorful" leader away from making the transition from power hungry government agency to supervillian organization.
My sci-fi novel, Ghost Thief, is now available from Amazon.com.
It seems he is getting to be more like General Buck Turgidson or Brigadier General Jack D. Ripper every day. I'm now just waiting for him to start spouting off about a mine shaft gap.
Time to offend someone
Bad deal. I'd rather the reaction pipeline have two tiers and go like this:
Tier One: Non-Vital Systems Targeted
1. NSA notices megahertz getting stoled
2. NSA informs at least two competing consumer security companies.
3. The two companies send their assessment to a judge.
4. The judge orders ISPs to shut down the attack.
5. The holder of the affected account gets 30 days to respond in their defense.
6. The case is reviewed again by a judge, who forwards it to a prosecutor if necessary.
7. The NSA never knows jack nor shit about anything after their part (step 1).
Tier Two: Vital Systems Targeted (infrastructure, utilities, government, or financial institutions)
1. NSA notices megahertz getting stoled.
2. NSA notifies an electronic security unit in each branch of the armed forces.
3. The security units rapidly evaluate the threat, and if any one concurs...
4. A service denial request targeting the source is dispatched to an ISP and a judge.
5. The ISP immediately suspends the target service. The judge can restore service.
6. Steps 5, 6, and 7 from Tier One.
7. Because it bears emphasis, the NSA doesn't know shit about the outcome ever, at all, period, otherwise this can be abused.
They already do. Any attack is going to come in via a botnet composed of compromised systems within your own border. You could make those systems more secure, but not without sacrificing the ability to spy on them whenever you want to.
I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?
oh christ this article. First, nowhere, and I mean Nowhere does tfa or the document mention anything about whatever the fuck "red button" autonomy is...
second, its like these guys just sit in a dark theater watching NCIS reruns and transformers, jerking eachother off, and coming up with authoritative yet meaningless and outright reprehensible approaches to something that they havent a clue about. There are no cyber 'counter attacks,' no missiles to launch or boats to sink, and thats what has these blowhards chestthumping the armageddon drum. well, that and federal budgets for 20xx need to be spent. Cyber anything is always predicated solely on defense. it arguably doesnt have a meaningful offensive component beacuse its the equivalent of tai chi in the context of modern warfare. network systems and computer security, none of this cyber nonsense, requires things like a cornerstone education in computer sciences to be proficient in, full stop. And to be frank the US has way more pressing problems like low mathematics comprehension, outbreaks of preventable disease, declining literacy rates, a patchwork system of healthcare, and a broken criminal justice system thats founded on systemic abuse and biblical retribution. Listening to the NSA director harp about his need for cyber anything is like listening to a six year old wax prophetic on what their favourite car is.
Good people go to bed earlier.
Facebook will be down for weeks.
Fingers crossed. Is there anything I can do to help make it happen?
Its called unplugging the target from the internet. Problem solved.
In all seriousness, they don't need a hair trigger response because its going to take them a while to figure out where the attackers actually are.
How about a red button that will result in a spring loaded boxing glove that punches the NSA director in the face when he says something stupid. I think that is a far more pressing and vital need.
This is my signature. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
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If the Director of the National Security Agency and Commander of United States Cyber Command feels that he needs to have a Red Button too, then perhaps the goals of his command are morphing into the goals of the United States Strategic Command.
If that truly is the case, then there should be a single organization that has the single Red Button for the United States.
Maybe it is time for the United States Cyber Command and the United States Strategic Command to merge into a single entity with One Red Button.
Human decisions are removed from strategic defense. USCYBERCOM computers begin to learn at a geometric rate. They become self-aware at 2:14 AM Eastern time, August 29th.
I'm pretty sure the NSA will get what they want.
They just won't tell anyone else about it and the only way we'll ever learn of its existence is via another TS slideshow years from now when another Snowden makes said information public.
I am curious what they plan on doing for damage control when they end up targeting the wrong networks for retaliation. Think of the fun you can have with that. It's like Swatting, just on a different level completely. Take over systems in a corporation you loathe, use them to attack the NSA, their retaliation strike takes down the corporation for you. Win - Win.
Dept. Of 127.0.0.1land Security
Strange things are afoot at the Circle-K.