Will the US CyberAttack Syria?

by | Sep 21, 2015 | Uncategorized

“Is the U.S. ready for cyber war?” leads an article in FCW Online. FCW, “the Business of Federal Technology” is an online magazine designed to provide Federal tech execs with the guidance and information it needs to do business with the Feds. As such, it is necessarily interested in the ramifications of cyberconflicts.

The article touches on some noteworthy issues – but does it provide useful answers?

“If you’ve used it, you’ve exposed it,” says Thomas Rid, author of the just-published book, “Cyber War Will Not Take Place,” wherein Rid says that code isn’t a weapon of war. I would disagree that code isn’t a weapon of war – at the very least, code directs the weapons of war – for instance, every guidance system for a “smart bomb” depends on code. But I do like his idea that the concept of cyberwar is overhyped – in particular in the press – and that not every little hack constitutes a strategic attack.

Having said that, his concept of not being able to use a weapon once it’s been exposed is a big stretch. There are something like 100 million AK-47s being used although the first one was fired more than 50 years ago. Rid says that some cybercapabilities are designed against a single target (can you say, “Stuxnet?”), but while this may be true, most cyberattacks carried out today have reusable code, and even Stuxnet is no doubt being used all over the world as a template for further electronic shenanigans.

Rid further makes the point that we need to balance offense with defense (true), but that the two seem to be mutually exclusive (not so true). At the same time, I would assert that, for better and worse, the military establishment has long pushed the concept that preparing a strong offensive capability is one of the strongest defenses, by providing a deterrent (can you say, “Mutually Assured Destruction?”) to those who would wish us harm.

Showing the flip side of the argument, the article also quotes Jason Healey, director of the Atlantic Council’s Cyber Statecraft Initiative: “We’ve allowed our cyberspace policy to be taken over … by Fort Mead.” It’s a curious statement on two fronts.
One: Fort Meade is home to the United States Cyber Commend, which seems like a good place to have at least some cyberpolicy.
And two: While the Cyber Statecraft Initiative claims it “helps foster international cooperation and understanding … in cyberspace…” the lead article on the page today is titled, “Why the US Should Use Cyber Weapons Against Syria.”

Are they for cooperation and understanding, or for cyberwar? The first two statements on the page would seem to proffer a spot of cognitive dissonance on the matter.

Further in, Healy states his concerns about the coming “Internet of Things,” where the bricks and mortar world is contiguously cyberconnected to the rest of the world, and the failure of concrete and steel means real-world consequences and real destruction and death. I would assert that we’ve already launched the opening salvos of this with Stuxnet overseas and iPhones at home, but I don’t see concrete and steel failing as a result.

I have to say that if his page about cooperation didn’t start with a proposal to unleash a cyberattack, I would find his arguments more serious.

But moving on, the FCW article also says, “But for now, as the United States juggles Syria, formal cybersecurity policy and a changing technological reality, it is critical not to overlook history and the lessons that still apply today.” And with this, I wholeheartedly agree. Now, how about some guidance from someone other than these two guys, one of whom denies the danger and the other of whom seeks to exacerbate it?

Subscribe to our free and informative weekly forensics newsletter!

 

Related Posts

CSI Cases from Burgess Forensics #69 A Case of Hiphop Beef

The Stories are true; the names and places have been changed to protect the potentially guilty. It was almost closing time on Friday and my thoughts were turning to Barbequeing some of that mouth-watering Santa Maria tri-tip while my nose was turned to the scent of...

Email as a signed contract vs. fraudulent emails

Email as a signed contract vs. fraudulent emails We all send and receive email, but did you know that what you say in an email can be interpreted as a legal contract? And that sometimes, emails are fraudulent? Both are true. The Statute of Frauds Although email didn’t...

El Salvador Adopts BitCoin

El Salvador Adopts BitCoin copyright Steve Burgess, 2021 El Salvador just passed a law to make BitCoin (BTC) legal tender and is the first country to do so. It did something similar back in 2001, when it made the US Dollar the official currency, replacing the...

Keeping Your Bitcoin Safe

BitCoin. Everybody wants some. But what’s the best way to keep it safe once you’ve got it? And how to get it? First things first – you get BitCoin (and Etherium, and DogeCoin) from a cryptocurrency exchange, like you would from a “regular” currency exchange to turn...

Cyberbullying and Covid-19: 2021 Update

California defines a cyberbully as anyone who sends any online communication to deliberately frighten, embarrass, harass, or otherwise target another. The Cyberbullying Research Center defines it as “willful and repeated harm inflicted through the use of computers,...

Cybersecurity & Covid-19: Vulnerability and What to Do About It

Cybersecurity & Covid-19: Vulnerability and What to Do About It Steve Burgess, 2020 As if we didn’t have enough to worry about. With so many of us working from home (close to 90% of American corporations are encouraging or requiring employees to do so) and having...

Indian Summer Lovin’ – Tech Tips For a Warm Autumn

by Natalie Miller, 2019 With Indian Summer temperatures rising, here are some tips to help you make sure your devices are ready to conquer these warm days of Fall like you are. Check Those Pockets! Taking a dip in the pool, going for a paddle in a kayak, and jumping...

Electronic Waste and Recycling – What Your Old Devices Can Say About You

by Natalie Miller, 2019 With new models of phones and computers being released every year, wanting the latest and greatest is never a bad thing, but what about your old devices? The truth is that old devices can still hold all of the data you put on them or that they...

The Case of The Client Who Wanted … to be Wanted

The Case of The Client Who Wanted … to be Wanted copyright Steve Burgess, 2018 It was nearly Christmas, but the morning sun was pouring in through the windows of my Central Coast office, casting shoe-shaped shadows on the West side of my desk. Perhaps I should have...

Burgess Forensics Newsletter Vol. 5 Issue 1: FitBit Fun Forensics & Foes 08.08.2018

  Fitbit, Fun, Forensics, and Foes Have you tracked your 10,000 steps today? Has anyone else tracked them? Fitness trackers are big business, helping people get and stay fit, and helping them share their progress with friends – and sometimes with strangers. The...

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This