what's good for the goose…
Bush Orders Guidelines for Cyber-Warfare - Report
Fri Feb 7,12:48 AM ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush (news - web
sites) has ordered the government to draw up
guidelines for cyber- attacks against enemy computer
networks, The Washington Post reported on Friday.
Bush signed a directive last July ordering the
government to develop, for the first time, rules for
deciding when and how the United States would
penetrate and disrupt foreign computer systems, the
newspaper said.
The secret national security directive had not been
publicly disclosed until now, the newspaper reported.
According to the report, cyber-warfare rules were
being prepared amid speculation that the Pentagon
(news - web sites) was considering some offensive
computer operations against Iraq if the president
decides to go to war over Baghdad's banned weapons
programs.
"Whatever might happen in Iraq, you can be assured
that all the appropriate approval mechanisms for
cyber-operations would be followed," an administration
official was quoted as saying. The official declined
to confirm or deny whether such planning was underway,
the newspaper said.
A White House spokesman was not immediately available
for comment.
The Post cited unnamed senior officials as saying that
the United States has never conducted a large-scale,
strategic cyber-attack, but the Pentagon has stepped
up development of cyber-weapons.
Military planners imagine soldiers at computer
terminals silently invading foreign networks to shut
down radars, disable electrical facilities and disrupt
phone services, the newspaper said.
Despite months of discussions involving the Pentagon,
CIA (news - web sites), FBI (news - web sites) and
National Security Agency, officials told the paper a
number of cyber-warfare issues remain to be resolved
and that the president's directive was just an initial
step.
A senior administration official told the newspaper:
"We're trying to be thorough and thoughtful about
this. I expect the process will end in another
directive … setting the foundation."
__________________________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now.
http://mailplus.yahoo.com
Bush Orders Guidelines for Cyber-Warfare
-
Type: discussion