The Pentagon is set to publish a report on measures to tackle and respond to cyber warfare.
A cyber-attack last month targeting U.S. defense contractor Lockheed Martin has hastened the Pentagon’s steps on the cyber-warfare plans. A report, due in a matter of weeks, is expected to deem cyber-attacks as an act of war, and to suggest whatever measures necessary to defend the country’s infrastructure.
“A response to a cyber-incident or attack on the US would not necessarily be a cyber-response. All appropriate options would be on the table,” Pentagon spokesman Colonel Dave Lapan told reporters on Tuesday.
Areas of great concern include the already-strained power grid in the U.S., or systems that emergency response networks rely on. Attacks against systems particularly in urban areas could have devastating consequences for the civilian populations in the worst case.
“We reserve the right to use all necessary means - diplomatic, informational, military, and economic - as appropriate and consistent with applicable international law, in order to defend our nation, our allies, our partners and our interests,” states a White House statement put out on May 16.
The United States is not alone in its feelings toward cyber-warfare either.
In 2007, the nation of Estonia came under a heavy denial of service attack in a dispute over the movement of a Soviet-era war monument. The attacks, believed to have come from Russia (though the Kremlin stresses there was no official involvement), targeted the government and financial services of the state, with harsh consequences for citizens in a country that relies heavily on digital transactions and other electronic services.
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Result for: national security
Several months ago documents outlining a secret proposal from the US Trade Representative (USTR) for a new intellectual property treaty were leaked to the public. Although the few details we know about negotiahe Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) show it to be a collaboration between entertainment industry representatives and government officials in various countries. Unfortunately most of what’s been published so far is really just speculation.
In an attempt to bring these negotiations into the open for everyone, instead of just entertainment industry lobbyists, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act. But the office of the USTR has been less than forthcoming with information.
In fact they’re actively trying to block the release of almost all the information requested. So far they’ve turned over just 159 pages to the EFF, while insisting that 1300 pages need to be remain secret.
And what reason are they citing for the secrecy. Actually there are two reasons given. The first is mostly just laughable. They claim some of the documents would endanger national security if released. But the other claim seems to just miss the point. The USTR is claiming an exemption from turning documents over that would expose their “deliberative process.” If I’m not mistaken that’s exactly the point of the request.
“ACTA could lead to new invasive monitoring of Internet communications by your ISP and raises serious potential due process concerns for Internet users,” said EFF International Policy Director Gwen Hinze. “Because ACTA is to be adopted as an Executive Agreement, it will bypass normal processes of Congressional oversight. Therefore, it is crucial that citizens have access to information about its contents in a timely manner. The USTR’s decision to withhold documents that citizens are entitled to see as a matter of law prevents citizens from evaluating ACTA’s impact on their lives and expressing their opinions to their political leaders before it’s a fait accompli.”
Result for: national security
Last year the U.S. Military moved to block access to YouTube from troops and government employees, citing bandwidth usage problems with the services. Now, in co-operation with Seattle startup Delve Networks, it has launched a video sharing website for troops, their families and supporters. Members of the branches of the armed forces, their families, civilian Defense Department employees and supporters can join the service and upload videos.
TroopTube is tightly monitored however, with all video submissions being reviewed by Pentagon employees before they are added to filter out everything from threats to national security to copyright infringing content. Delve developed the technology to approve and sort incoming videos, as well as technology that makes several different video sizes and streams whichever is best suited for the users’ Internet connection.
Delve Chief Executive Alex Castro called TroopTube a “retention tool” which is aimed at a new generation of soldiers who bring laptops and other portable gadgets to the front line with them. “A lot of people are excited in the company to be doing something for the people who make sacrifices,” said Castro. “We’re proud of this.”
Last year the Pentagon opted to block YouTube and other video sharing sites, as well as social networking sites such as MySpace, citing security fears and bandwidth problems.
