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Trump, Seeking To Relax Rules on US Cyberattacks, Reverses Obama Directive (wsj.com)

Posted by msmash on from the for-the-record dept.

President Trump has reversed an Obama-era memorandum dictating how and when the U.S. government can deploy cyberweapons against its adversaries, in an effort to loosen restrictions on such operations [Editor's note: the link may be paywalled; alternative source], WSJ reports. From the report: Mr. Trump signed an order on Wednesday reversing the classified rules, known as Presidential Policy Directive 20, that had mapped out an elaborate interagency process that must be followed before U.S. use of cyberattacks, particularly those geared at foreign adversaries. The change was described as an "offensive step forward" by an administration official briefed on the decision, one intended to help support military operations, deter foreign election influence and thwart intellectual property theft by meeting such threats with more forceful responses. The Trump administration has faced pressure to show that it is taking seriously national-security cyberthreats -- particularly those that intelligence officials say are posed by Moscow.

13 of 153 comments (clear)

  1. Oh, here we go ... by cascadingstylesheet · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Oh, here we go ... Obama is apparently like an ancient Persian king; one cannot not simply reverse his dictates!

    1. Re:Oh, here we go ... by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1, Insightful

      It's a good job America's cyber security is so famously top-notch, now that Trump has escalated and opened it up for retaliatory/preemptive attacks.

      Don't worry, I'm sure most critical systems have patched the leaked NSA/CIA vulnerabilities by now, so it's safe for the US to start deploying new ones. This time they won't lose control of them, for sure.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    2. Re:Oh, here we go ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Oh, here we go ... Obama is apparently like an ancient Persian king; one cannot not simply reverse his dictates!

      The problem isn't so much that Trump is reversing a policy of Obama.

      The problem is that Trump makes policy by shooting from the hip, with no consideration for the ramifications of it. Nobody does any analysis or planning, just suddenly there is a bad policy dumped one everyone.

      Now while saying there was no foreign interference, Trump is protecting us from foreign interference. Which is it? It never happened and we don't need to be protected? Or it did and Trump is still lying about it?

      The problem is other countries might decide this is an Unfriendly Act (which is diplomat speak for 'we don't like what you're doing and we're monitoring it'), and if escalates to a Hostile Act (which is diplomat speak for 'now we're really pissed off and things are going to get messy').

      Trump is essentially authorising hostile actions against foreign entities without oversight and planning.

      Shit like that can get dangerous in terms of relations between countries.

      The problems happen when Trump makes policy without consulting with the people who know what they're talking about (you know, 'elites') and instead relies on his own feels and stupidity.

    3. Re: Oh, here we go ... by omnichad · · Score: 3, Insightful

      What will make lots of people like me?

      Sex or cloning.

    4. Re:Oh, here we go ... by omnichad · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Trump is essentially authorising hostile actions against foreign entities without oversight and planning.

      More like Trump is explicitly telling other countries that it's OK to try and hack us. Because it goes both ways. It's like Net Neutrality. Before it existed, there might have been some general intellectual agreement about what was OK and what was not OK. After it was repealed, that's an explicit statement that doing the formerly banned things is explicitly OK. It doesn't revert back to undefined or there would be no motive to repeal.

    5. Re:Oh, here we go ... by GregMmm · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I'll preface this comment by I'm not a huge President Trump supporter. But people need to know how to look at things objectively, outside their views.

      People are tired of the same rhetoric which is doing nothing. Yes this change can be dangerous, and yes it can be "messy". What was happening before is also dangerous and messy. Do nothing, and allow the bullies to have their way. Then we will say stop and the bullies laugh all the more.

      Why do you think President Trump was voted into office? It wasn't the Russians. Heavens knows we influence foreign governments much more. People are tired of the status quo. So change came in someone outside the political system.

      By the way, I like your vast assumptions in your comment. I suppose you know for a fact how "Trump shoots from the hip" Talked to him lately? You know the man? Also how you took President Trumps action from changing a policy (which is his job) to saying he's "essentially authorizing hostile actions without oversight or planning" Yup, he just changed a policy and now he's going rogue. Sounds like the same policy and political BS we hear everyday.

    6. Re:Oh, here we go ... by omnichad · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Those rules made it clear we were classifying it like an act of war. Going back and saying it's OK implies that we are going to be aggressive and make offensive attacks. Put two and two together and we are the crazy third world country with an unstable dictator.

    7. Re:Oh, here we go ... by snapsnap · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Like DACA that was an Obama EO? A judge recently ruled Trump couldn't undo part of it with his own EO. What a ridiculous double-standard.

    8. Re:Oh, here we go ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      He was elected because he wasn't an insider. The people that voted for him love the cowboy attitude shoot from the hip. I for one love it. Watching the liberals squirm is awesome.

    9. Re:Oh, here we go ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Insightful

      Actually it sounds like most Trump supporters are very supportive of the status quo as long as it is one dominated by White male elites. It sounds like they are extremely afraid of change, particularly demographic changes or anything that challenges the existing capitalist structure.

  2. Re:So Trump is actually DOING SOMETHING about Russ by Comboman · · Score: 4, Insightful

    If Obama had done something to stop Russian election meddling, Trump and his supporters would have flipped out and claimed he was fixing the election for Hillary. They already Obama was "spying" on them because he was investigating the Russian meddling.

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  3. Re: So Trump is actually DOING SOMETHING about Rus by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Nope, Trump is pretending to do something. Thus is just grandstanding that accomplishes nothing.

    Just like he already did with North Korea.

    Meanwhile, he fumes at European allies, lies about Canada and Mexico, and can't take responsibility for his lies or even his child detainment centers.

  4. Meaningless by Archtech · · Score: 3, Insightful

    In the first place, all such self-denying laws and regulations are honoured in the breech. They look good to the peasants and the outside world, but the executive agencies simply ignore them when they are inconvenient. For many years there was a presidential policy against assassinating foreign leaders! During which period countless such plots were hatched and carried out - with occasional success.

    In the second place, there is only one real deterrent to using any weapon against foreign powers - retaliation. The USA has by far the biggest and most fragile house of cards when it comes to IT infrastructure. Americans are living in the largest, most elaborate glasshouse ever constructed, so it wouldn't be smart for them to start throwing rocks at people who live in mud huts or concrete blockhouses. (And who have plenty of nice big rocks to throw back).

    --
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