[liberationtech] Is the Cyberwar beginning?

[Gregory Foster]

Thanks for bringing up this subject, Andreas.

I'll just add that aggression (cyber-aggression perhaps?) requires 
actors.  And as Andreas points out, on January 27th the Pentagon 
announced approval of US Cyber Command's expansion from 900 personnel to 
4,900 troops and civilians.

WaPo (Jan 27) - "Pentagon to boost cybersecurity force" by Ellen Nakashima:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/pentagon-to-boost-cybersecurity-force/2013/01/19/d87d9dc2-5fec-11e2-b05a-605528f6b712_story.html

This five-fold expansion of personnel comes in the midst of threatened 
Defense budget cuts (the "sequester") and a draw-down of overseas 
engagements, which signifies something about its perceived necessity.  
More importantly, DOD Cyber Command (which is right next door to the NSA 
and led by the Director of the NSA) is staffing "combat mission forces" 
now that DOD has the green light to perform offensive operations across 
the Internet.

There is a difference between covert operations concealed in black 
budgets (e.g., Stuxnet) and overtly embraced state-sanctioned 
aggression.  Remember that Stuxnet has proven it is quite possible for 
actions initiated from the information environment to have kinetic 
effects in physical space (destroying Iran's centrifuges IMO constitutes 
an act of war).

I wonder how the Internet may change as a result of this slow, 
methodical unfolding.  And I do think we're embroiled in something quite 
different than the hyperbolic language acts that have been occurring 
since the early 90's.  The language acts are precipitating the desired 
result.

gf


On 1/31/13 2:26 AM, Andreas Bader wrote:
> On 01-29-2013 the website http://www.syrian-martyrs.com/ got hacked.
> On 01-30-2013 there was a man in the middle attack on GitHub (?).
> On 01-27-2013 the Pentagon was boosting the "Cybersecurity Force".
> On 01-14-2013 "Red October" was exposed.
> And that were only the big incidents in this year. Things like that are
> accumulating. Are we slipping in the cyberwar experts are warning of
> since years?
> I just want to initiate a discussion. Your opinions?
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Andreas

-- 
Gregory Foster || gfoster at entersection.org
@gregoryfoster <> http://entersection.com/