March 7,
2008: The U.S. Department of Defense has come right out and said they believe a
series of Internet based network attacks, on their computer networks last year,
came from China. These attacks were quite specific, often directed at named
individuals in the Department of Defense, and succeeded in stealing large
quantities of secret material. The
Department of Defense report also cited similar attacks on European defense and
commercial organizations. In Britain, MI-5 (the domestic intelligence agency)
sent warning to major corporations warning them of similar attacks and advising
increased security of their data. The Department of Defense believes that China
has the most powerful Cyber War capabilities on the planet. That means the
Chinese can shut down just about any site they target, and penetrate most as
well. Currently, Department of Defense computers are subjected to 70,000
Internet based attacks a day. Nearly all are repulsed, but only a few have to
get through to do damage.
The
Department of Defense is again asking for the authority to respond to these
attacks. Not just with more robust defenses, but with offensive action. China
insists that this is already going on, although they don't provide any details.
It's believed that Chinese commercial and government networks, which tend to
have weaker defenses than those in the West, are getting hammered by criminal
hacking gangs.
The
Department of Defense has been asking for permission to act more aggressively
against these Cyber War attacks, but there is a reluctance to risk legal and
diplomatic blowback from such operations. That is not to say that such
permission will not be given, just that if it is granted, it will be a secret
directive. Such an operation would eventually be revealed, but by then there
might be some good news to offset the inevitable criticism.
