(((If you didn't get it that the Internet is seething with spies, hackers, and spies who wanna be hackers, I hope you get that after reading this.)))
(((The DHS never did much of anything about this 'threat'
after eight solid years of waffling, so now it's time for the spooks to weigh in. The spooks, and the Air Force. No, really.)))
DNI CYBER THREAT SUMMARY
DNI has just released a new unclassified threat assessment. Below is a summary of the assessment; the whole document can be found at:
http://www.dni.gov/testimonies/20080205_testimony.pdf
THE CYBER THREAT
The US information infrastructure-including telecommunications and computer networks and systems, and the data that reside on them-is critical to virtually every aspect of modern life. Therefore, threats to our IT infrastructure are an important focus of the Intelligence
Community. As government, private sector, and personal activities continue to move to networked operations, as our digital systems add ever more capabilities, as wireless systems become even more ubiquitous, and as the design, manufacture, and service of information technology has moved overseas, our vulnerabilities will continue to grow.
STATE AND NON-STATE CYBER CAPABILITIES
Our information infrastructure-including the internet, telecommunications networks, computer systems, and embedded processors and controllers in critical industries- increasingly is being targeted for exploitation and potentially for disruption or destruction, by a growing array of state and non-state adversaries. Over the past year, cyber exploitation activity has grown more sophisticated, more targeted, and more serious. The Intelligence Community expects these trends to continue in the coming year.
We assess that nations, including Russia and China, have the technical capabilities to target and disrupt elements of the US information infrastructure and for intelligence collection. Nation states and criminals target our government and private sector information networks to gain competitive advantage in the commercial sector. Terrorist groups-including al-Qa'ida, HAMAS, and Hizballah-have expressed the desire to use cyber means to target the United States. Criminal elements continue to show growing sophistication in technical capability and targeting, and today operate a pervasive, mature on-line service economy in illicit cyber capabilities and services available to anyone willing to pay.
Each of these actors has different levels of skill and different intentions; therefore, we must develop flexible capabilities to counter each. It is no longer sufficient for the US Government to discover cyber intrusions in its networks, clean up the damage, and take legal or political steps to deter further intrusions. We must take proactive measures to detect and prevent intrusions from whatever source, as they happen, and before they can do significant damage.
At the President's direction, an interagency group reviewed the cyber threat to the US and identified options regarding how best to integrate
US Government defensive cyber capabilities; how best to optimize, coordinate and de-conflict cyber activities; and how to better employ cyber resources to maximize performance. This tasking was fulfilled with the January 2008 issuance of NSPD-54/HSPD-23, which directs a comprehensive national cybersecurity initiative. These actions will help to deter hostile action in cyber space by making it harder to penetrate our networks.
(((My best bet? An American-owned global Storm-bot network by
Christmas.)))
