Post by Steve Gardner on Dec 19, 2007 16:21:37 GMT
Source: Foreign Policy (click for index to stories 2 through 10)
1. Cyberwars Begin
The year 2007 will be remembered as the beginning of the cyberwars. In late April, Western experts were caught off guard when a barrage of cyberattacks emanating from Russia crippled the banking, police, and government offices of Estonia. Many called it the world's first full-scale cyberinvasion. Then in June, Pentagon officials accused the Chinese military of hacking into a computer network used by top aides to U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates. Near the end of the year, Britain's MI5 intelligence service sent a confidential letter to the CEOs of major multinationals warning them that the Chinese army was probing the cyberdefenses of their companies.
This emerging threat may explain why in September the U.S. Air Force quietly decided to form a Cyberspace Command. The new Cyberspace Command, due to become fully operational by October 2009, will be charged with helping to guard against such threats. But officials are quick to point out that merely playing defense against hackers and hucksters will not be enough. Instead, the 500 or so cyberwarriors who will be assigned to the command will train for full-scale cyberwar against a host of potential enemies. (Read: China and Russia). This month, top-ranking U.S. military officers began work on a Cyberspace Warfare Doctrine. The Air Force has also just graduated its first class of cyberfighters, trained in network warfare. More than 20 years after the founding of the Internet, the next "revolution in military affairs" may be online.
1. Cyberwars Begin
The year 2007 will be remembered as the beginning of the cyberwars. In late April, Western experts were caught off guard when a barrage of cyberattacks emanating from Russia crippled the banking, police, and government offices of Estonia. Many called it the world's first full-scale cyberinvasion. Then in June, Pentagon officials accused the Chinese military of hacking into a computer network used by top aides to U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates. Near the end of the year, Britain's MI5 intelligence service sent a confidential letter to the CEOs of major multinationals warning them that the Chinese army was probing the cyberdefenses of their companies.
This emerging threat may explain why in September the U.S. Air Force quietly decided to form a Cyberspace Command. The new Cyberspace Command, due to become fully operational by October 2009, will be charged with helping to guard against such threats. But officials are quick to point out that merely playing defense against hackers and hucksters will not be enough. Instead, the 500 or so cyberwarriors who will be assigned to the command will train for full-scale cyberwar against a host of potential enemies. (Read: China and Russia). This month, top-ranking U.S. military officers began work on a Cyberspace Warfare Doctrine. The Air Force has also just graduated its first class of cyberfighters, trained in network warfare. More than 20 years after the founding of the Internet, the next "revolution in military affairs" may be online.
