Quote:
Originally Posted by boogiedowndonovan
back on topic,
i think we're looking at 20th century strategies and tactics.
I'm no expert but why use nukes, when you've got a well trained hackers who can do as much damage without the risk of fallout and massive damage associated with nukes. Unless of course hackers did something to nuclear power plants, chemical plants, refineries, etc. Denial of service attacks against servers to overwhelm and crash them, hacking into networks to do all kinds of mischief, can all cause panic and damage.
Russian hackers were active during the Georgian conflict and also against Estonia. So we know that the capability exists.
Why threaten to launch a conventionally armed ICBM, which can be immediately traced back to its launching point, when a hacker can launch an attack from malware infested computers all over the world while hiding out in his mom's basement?
|
I think in the 21st Century most countries are very aware of the threat posed by hacking from hostile governments, security agencies and terrorists. With the amount of cyber-espionage currently practiced by a countries such as China, most countries are well versed in preventing it.
The US Cyber Command is certainly one of the biggest and most experienced. The US Army Cyber Command directs network operations and defense of all Army networks. The 24th Air Force manages cyber for the US Air Force, the Fleet Cyber Command (the US 10th Fleet) delivers cyber capabilities for the Navy and even the US Marine Corps has its own cyber command. The US intelligence community also almost certainly has a very large cyber capability.
Russia officially doesn't have its own cyber command but it has developed capacity in this area and has incorporated the cyber domain into existing doctrines of information warfare. Until 2003, activities within the cyber domain were the responsibility of the Russian SIGINT agency, FAPSI. This agency was abolished and its responsibilities divided between the Defence Ministry and the internal security service (FSB), with the latter having responsibility for investigating cyber crime. Moscow State University’s Institute for Information Security Issues conducts research on technical issues including cryptography and counts the General Staff and the FSB among its clients.
The big three European NATO powers; Britain, France and Germany; each have their own cyber command's. Britain has the UK Defence Cyber Operations Group and MI6 certainly has its own cyber capabilities. France has the Network and Information Security Agency (ANSSI), and Germany has the National Cyber Response Centre, involving Police, Customs, Federal Intelligence Service and the Bunderswehr.
Other countries with known cyber capabilities include Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Estonia, India, Iran, Israel, Japan, Netherlands, North Korea, Norway, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan.