Measuring China's Cyberwar Threat 79
An anonymous reader writes with this excerpt from Network World: "A lengthy report prepared for the U.S. government about China's high-tech buildup to prepare for cyberwar includes speculation about how a potential conflict with the U.S. would unfold — and how it might only take a few freelance Chinese civilian hackers working on behalf of China's People's Liberation Army to sow deadly disruptions in the U.S. military logistics supply chain. As told, if there's a conflict between the U.S. and China related to Taiwan, "Chinese offensive network operations targeting the U.S. logistics chain need not focus exclusively on U.S. assets, infrastructure or territory to create circumstances that could impede U.S. combat effectiveness," write the report's authors, Bryan Krekel, Patton Adams and George Bakos, all of whom are information security analysts with Northrop Grumman. The report, "Occupying the Information High Ground: Chinese Capabilities for Computer Network Operations and Cyber Espionage," focuses primarily on facts about China's cyberwar planning but also speculates on what might happen in any cyberwar."
Wanna cyber? (Score:5, Insightful)
In computers and network security, every time someone uses 'cyber' in a serious, unironic manner, they lose credibility.
TFA uses it 9 times.
Ahh yes (Score:5, Insightful)
Our newest 'threat' we need to throw money at to 'combat'.
Instead of ohhhh... i dont know... not connecting important shit to the internet...
What's it gonna be called.. Thats the big question. 'War on Cyber' Doesnt sound catchy enough.
They missed one key tid bit... (Score:5, Insightful)
This is what I would add:
All speculation is geared toward ensuring that the report's authors
or their agents are beneficiaries in any efforts the US government would take to "mitigate" any China factor(s).
Military using the public Internet?!? (Score:2, Insightful)
Does the "cyber war" threat mention the public Internet at all? If so, then that's totally stupid!
The military has no business *relying* on the public Internet for anything!
The power grid has no business *relying* on the public Internet for anything!
Telephone companies has no business *relying* on the public Internet for anything!
If hackers using the plain Internet have any way in to any U.S. military communications system, then people need to be fired!
The Internet is NOT a secure communications network, and the government should not try to present this insecurity as a "national security" issue. The idea of turning the Internet in to a secure communications network is like trying to impose federal banking laws in the commerce system of "World Of Warcraft". The FBI and NSA are trying to justify deep surveillance, user tracking, and censorship on the Internet. It's a power grab for what should be a public network, with private communications (like most physical mail parcels).
Re:Ahh yes (Score:4, Insightful)
With friends like Duke Cunningham and KBR, we don't need enemies...
why are critical systems on the net to begin with? (Score:5, Insightful)
Mod me double plus idiot if you will, but in our small company, our "critical computer" - the one hat has files I don't want to loose (yes, i do back ups), and the one I don't ever want hacked, it is NEVER connected to the internet. No wifi, no bluetooth, no cable, nada, zilcho. I even have independent power supply aside from plugging it into the wall.
Anything I need to introduce into the computer id done by a freshly formatted USB, and double checked and scanned first on a different machine running linux. When not in use, I physically turn it off and disconnect the power supply, and if the hackers can get into a machine with no power, well, I;ll just go back to pen and ink at that point. :)
Now seriously, I know you cannot turn off a computer that is running a nuke plant or a NORAD radar system, but why are so many critical systems connected to the internet? Or have online access of any kind? Back in the good old days of BBSes when I was a sysop and upgrading form a 9600 baud modem to a 28,800 like like a miracle (you know, this was back way when dinosaurs still roamed the earth, or so my kids see it as such :) ), the quickest way sometimes to block a hacker attack as to physically disconnect the phone line from the modem.
Again, mod me super simplistic idiot, but if I were operations manager for a nuke plant, and a major cyber attack was underway, to prevent a meltdown, wouldn't you be tempted to just take a pair of wire cutters and snip the physical connection to the internet?
Re:Oh, please ... (Score:5, Insightful)
On the other hand, China knows the US's reliance on its products, and knows that there is sufficient sentiment in America to restart such closed businesses. If China ever does shut down shipping, American factories will start back up quickly. We have the equipment and the people, both just waiting for a market to support them. I doubt very much that America would lose a war with China. We'll certainly be beaten back and spend the first several years hurting, but the logistics of China actually "winning" are a very tough obstacle. Both nations have the natural resources to continue fighting through the foreseeable future.
It's partly for that reason that I see a war as highly unlikely, despite the saber-rattling on both sides. Both nations are economically attached tighter than ever before, and they both must recognize it, despite the political irritation.