Peacetime Use of Computer Network Attack

Details

• Creators:
  Busby, Daniel J.
• Corporate Creators:
  United States. Army War College ; United States. Army
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  Computer Networks Computer Security Cyber Attack Decision Making Electronics Electronic Security Infrastructure Peacetime Policies Policy Protection Security Telecommunications Threats United States Vulnerability

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• Resource Type:
  Research Paper
• Geographical Coverage:
  United States ; Pennsylvania
• Edition:
  Research Report
• Corporate Publisher:
  United States. Army War College
• Abstract:
  Published in May 1998, Presidential Decision Directive 63 (PDD-63), The Critical Infrastructure Protection Directive, calls for a national effort to protect America's increasingly vulnerable and interconnected information infrastructures. Such infrastructure includes telecommunications, banking and finance, energy, transportation, and essential government services. PDD-63 alerts the nation to prepare for impending cyber attacks. This paper examines the nature, scale, and likelihood of cyber attacks posited in PDD-63 and finds that the country does not face an imminent "electronic Pearl Harbor." Nonetheless, the country's information infrastructure is vulnerable to cyber attacks by a plethora of adversaries. The most dangerous threat is from state-sponsored cyber-warriors. In view of this real and growing threat, the prescriptions in PDD-63 for protecting the infrastructure are inadequate. This paper concludes that the defensively oriented policy measures in PDD-63 are insufficient for protecting the infrastructure. These measures are not working now, and because they are entirely reactive by nature, they will not deter future attacks by state-sponsored cyber-warriors. With the potential for severe disruptions to the infrastructure so great, this paper argues that the United States must conduct open, offensive Computer Network Attacks against state-sponsored cyber-warriors during peacetime. Only then will the country be able to stop these adversaries and adequately protect its infrastructure.
• Format:
  PDF
• Collection(s):
  US Transportation Collection
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:de76d55a4e0f755cd74709c713e5dd82c80051225f226bc3e336b6937bdfbd4c
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/42156/dot_42156_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 493.31 KB ]