Most of us have probably visited a web site that has been down due to a DoS (denial-of-service) attack, but were not aware of the cause for the site being down. These kinds of attacks are an attempt to make an internet site or service not function as designed. The average internet user has little idea of what's happening behind the screen in being able to communicate with someone on the other side of the world. The knowledge of the average user decreases when we address the threats and security implications of having a network as open as the internet.
One or two decades ago, even an advanced user was little aware of all the holes that are open for people to take over a system. We have come a long way as the Pentagon's Cyber Command was scheduled to be up and running this month. Even though it missed the deadline to be fully operational, we can see that the government is aware of the need for an agency such as this one. Interestingly enough, the Pentagon's Cyber Command missed the deadline because it was struggling to fill out the rest of the organization which needs more than 1,000 employees.
Even with this new Cyber Command, the rest of the U.S. government is lagging behind, debating the responsibilities of different agencies. We have heard this before; It might be understandable as many people don't see or understand the tangible consequences of a cyber attack until they experience it firsthand. It would be interesting to know how much authority the Pentagon has to help fend off cyber attacks within the U.S.
An article recently reported that more than 100 countries are currently trying to break into U.S. networks. China and Russia are home of the greatest concentration of attacks. Attacks between different countries have been increasing recently as they are attempting to take down each other’s websites with DoS attacks. Many of the victims are government websites, but many victims also belong to the private sector. How will the government respond to a call of aid due to an attack on the private sector? Does the Cyber Command have the authority to respond to it?
One or two decades ago, even an advanced user was little aware of all the holes that are open for people to take over a system. We have come a long way as the Pentagon's Cyber Command was scheduled to be up and running this month. Even though it missed the deadline to be fully operational, we can see that the government is aware of the need for an agency such as this one. Interestingly enough, the Pentagon's Cyber Command missed the deadline because it was struggling to fill out the rest of the organization which needs more than 1,000 employees.
Even with this new Cyber Command, the rest of the U.S. government is lagging behind, debating the responsibilities of different agencies. We have heard this before; It might be understandable as many people don't see or understand the tangible consequences of a cyber attack until they experience it firsthand. It would be interesting to know how much authority the Pentagon has to help fend off cyber attacks within the U.S.
An article recently reported that more than 100 countries are currently trying to break into U.S. networks. China and Russia are home of the greatest concentration of attacks. Attacks between different countries have been increasing recently as they are attempting to take down each other’s websites with DoS attacks. Many of the victims are government websites, but many victims also belong to the private sector. How will the government respond to a call of aid due to an attack on the private sector? Does the Cyber Command have the authority to respond to it?
Government agencies have to catch up with the threats that Cyber Space presents, and they have to come up with a proper response model adaptable to the civilian and private sector. Meanwhile the other countries or organizations, like the U.N., could also have the initiative to help limit and punish cyber attacks. Cyber space and cyber attacks are real.
