AFF/CYBERWAR: GENERAL INHERENCY EVIDENCE

PRE-OCCUPATION WITH CONVENTIONAL MILITARY THREATS STOPS PREPARATIONS AGAINST CYBER WAR

NEWT GINGRICH, Hoover Institution at Stanford University, April, 2001 Information Security SECTION: SECURITY PERSPECTIVES; Pg. 36 HEADLINE: Threats of Mass Disruption //VT2002acslnOur slowness in recognizing and responding to these security threats comes from three basic realities. 1. Preoccupation with conventional military threats. Our national defense systems are more focused on weapons of mass destruction than on iTY PERSPECTIVES; Pg. 36 HEADLINE: Threats of Mass Disruption //VT2002acsln

Our commission concluTY PERSPECTIVES; Pg. 36 HEADLINE: Threats of Mass Disruption //VT2002acslnOur commission conclun, developing nuclear weapons is a massively complex and expensive undertaking that few nations can afford. A similarly significant investment is required for the development of chemical and biological weapons. Conversely, one relatively smart hacker can cause a major economic disruption, potentially bringing some nations and markets to their knees. Look at the damage caused by the "Love Bug" virus creator -- he caused billions of dollars in lost productivity and recovery costs by unleashing a single piece of malicious code.

CYBER WAR GOES ON UNSEEN AND IS CHARACTERIZED BY CHAOS AND UNPREDICTABILITY

JAMES ADAMS, National Security Agency Advisory Board, May, 2001 / June, 2001 Foreign Affairs SECTION: ESSAYS; Pg. 98 HEADLINE: Virtual Defense //VT2002acsln

The potential nightmares of Eligible Receiver and Zenith Star, as well as the real and ongoing Moonlight Maze sabotage, are visible signs of a new war already being waged in cyberspace. This war is largely hidden from public view but the infrastructure protection it requires is costing the private sector and the U.S. taxpayer billions of dollars. And thus far, the war is operating in an environment of near chaos. Unlike during the Cold War, when the nuclear standoff produced its own understandable rules of the game that included a sophisticated deterrence mechanism, no legal or de facto boundaries inhibit cyber-aggressions. Instead, information warfare is a free-for-all, with more and more players hurrying to join the scrimmage.

CURRENT SYSTEM LEAVES USA HOME INFORMATION INFRASTRUCTURE DEFENSELESS

JAMES ADAMS, National Security Agency Advisory Board, May, 2001 / June, 2001 Foreign Affairs SECTION: ESSAYS; Pg. 98 HEADLINE: Virtual Defense //VT2002acsln

In addition, the U.S. defense posture, which is designed around power projection and not homeland defense, leaves the country's information and communications networks vulnerable. Currently no mechanism exists for effective defense of the computer networks of businesses, the power grids of American cities, or even the information networks of the federal government. Indeed, cyber-defense is left to the FBI, a law-enforcement agency meant to pursue criminals, not defend the nation. Thus far, the FBI's efforts to coordinate cyber-defense have been hampered by a lack of technological skills and resources. The bureau has supposedly been coordinating the sharing of information across public and private sectors but has in fact focused on its traditional role of law enforcement.

30 NATIONS NOW HAVE AGGRESSIVE CYBER WAR PROGRAMS

JAMES ADAMS, National Security Agency Advisory Board, May, 2001 / June, 2001 Foreign Affairs SECTION: ESSAYS; Pg. 98 HEADLINE: Virtual Defense //VT2002acsln

THE U.S. GOVERNMENT now believes that more than 30 nations have developed aggressive computer-warfare programs. The list includes Russia and China, volatile governments such as Iran and Iraq, and U.S. allies such as Israel and France. Ambitious newcomers, including India and Brazil, are also seeking to become powers in the world of virtual combat.

ERA OF CYBER WAR IS NOW HERE

JAMES ADAMS, National Security Agency Advisory Board, May, 2001 / June, 2001 Foreign Affairs SECTION: ESSAYS; Pg. 98 HEADLINE: Virtual Defense //VT2002acsln

JUST AS World War I introduced new weaponry and modern combat to the twentieth century, the information age is now revolutionizing warfare for the twenty-first. Around the world, information technology increasingly pervades weapons systems, defense infrastructures, and national economies. As a result, cyberspace has become a new international battlefield. Whereas military victories used to be won through physical confrontations of weapons and soldiers, the information warfare being waged today involves computer sabotage by hackers acting on behalf of private interests or governments. The recent escalation of tension between Israel and the Palestinians, for example, has had a prominent virtual dimension. From October 2000 to January 2001, attacks by both sides took down more than 250 Web sites, and the aggressions spread well beyond the boundaries of the Middle East to the computer networks of foreign companies and groups seen as partisan to the conflict.