Tuesday, April 06, 2010

Fine Line between Criminal Activity and National Security

NPR ran a lengthy report on cyber war centered around last month's congressional testimony by the Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair citing cyber attacks as a top threat to U.S. security.

One important factor noted in the broadcast is the fine line between criminal activity and national security threats. The difference is not so much technique as motive:
"The difference between cybercrime, cyber-espionage, and cyberwar is a couple of keystrokes," says [Richard] Clarke [former Presidential cyber security adviser]. "The same technique that gets you in to steal money, patented blueprint information or chemical formulas is the same technique that a nation-state would use to get in and destroy things."

Cyber Insecurity: U.S. Struggles To Confront Threat

No comments: