Cyber war is more than a threat, it is something the Department of Defense is spending money on as we speak. Deputy Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter outlined six ways the DOD is taking action today, as well as legislation he believes can help the government act quickly against hackers at home and abroad.
“Cyber will overtake terrorism as the persistent gnawing … kind of threat and danger,” said Carter at the RSA Conference in San Francisco today. “The market, both economic and political, undervalues security at the moment. Doesn’t see it. Doesn’t fully get it. This is wrong, this is a mistake.”
The DOD is charged with protecting the United States not only with ships, airplanes, and tanks but also with cyber weapons. Former National Security Agency director Mike McConnell pointed out that if terrorists find their way into our banks, the ensuing economic havoc could result in greater devastation than that of 9/11. He said the US must be prepared not only to defend itself on the Internet but also to fight back. Six core DOD missions speak to this responsibility:
- Developing and preparing to use weapons of cyber warfare
- Preparing the U.S. for what the battlefield may look like
- Listening for and analyzing defense intelligence over the Internet
- Defending both classified and unclassified networks
- Creating technology using the DOD’s and the NSA’s “weight and resources” and distributing them to Homeland Security, law enforcement agencies, and partners
- Protecting these tools and infrastructure with the military.
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