Communications of the ACM
Too Much Hysteria Over Cyberattacks
Courtesy of ChattahBox
Internet security initiatives could be obstructed by hype that is distorting the threat of cyberattacks, according to officials and experts speaking at the recent RSA computer security conference.
"Cyberwar is a terrible metaphor," says U.S. cybersecurity coordinator Howard Schmidt. "Don't make it something it's not."
Hyping incidents as warfare keeps computer security specialists distracted from important tasks such as protecting power grids, financial systems, and medical networks, Schmidt says. Meanwhile, computer security expert Bruce Schneier warns that the use of war-like stratagems in cyberconflicts, such as the Stuxnet computer worm, is stoking hysteria that has the world on the cusp of a "cyberarms race" that carries with it the danger that software weapons might unwittingly be released.
In a keynote address, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense William J. Lynn cited the theft of information from networks as the most prevalent cyberthreat, while strikes against computers networks have so far been brief and "fairly unsophisticated." Lynn urged computer security industry specialists to partner with the military to safeguard U.S. networks, asserting that "the government cannot protect our nation alone. It is going to take a public-private partnership to secure our networks."
From Agence France-Presse
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