Saturday, October 30, 2010

Is Cyber Warfare A Concern That We Should All Share?

Cyberwar games at West Point with Lt. Col. Robert Fanelli, left, Cadets Nathan Larsen, Mark Evinger, seated, and Marc Abbott. Michael Falco for The New York Times

Is Cyber Warfare a Legitimate Threat? -- The Atlantic

Ace investigative journalist Seymour Hersh has a disquieting exposé on cyber security in The New Yorker this week. He rips the lid off the bureaucratic battle for government funds, showing how the specter of cyber war can be exploited by government agencies and contractors alike. Also troubling, Hersh finds that the U.S. is underestimating the sophisticated cyber-threat posed by China. In the end, he depicts a U.S. National Security Agency that leaves us vulnerable while increasingly curtailing civil liberties. Here's what bloggers are saying about it:

Read more ....

My Comment: Aside from the attacks on my personal computers from trojans, viruses, and God only knows what else .... cyber warfare has been primarily isolated to individual computers or networks. Aside from the disruption that they cause, they are usually temporary, and are quickly corrected.

Having said this, I must confess that everyone's concerns are legitimate. The evolution of military organizations being dependent on computer systems has truly been revolutionary, and their effectiveness on battlefields and war strategies cannot be underestimated. Computer networks are a legitimate target in a time of war, and as the tools to attack these networks become more readily available and effective, cyber warfare will become an integral part of any military plan, strategy, and defense.

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