Stay Ahead With Linux Security News

information warfarecybersecurity threatCIA assessment

China Cyber Capabilities: Experts Question CIA Threat Assessment

It's no secret. In addition to the U.S., at least six countries are known to be actively developing information warfare programs designed to cripple the IT, economic and military infrastructure of their potential adversaries. However, a classified CIA warning, which detailed China's plans to launch cyberattacks against U.S. business and military networks and was made public late last month, grossly misrepresents the threat to those responsible for protecting government and private IT networks in the U.S., experts said last week. . . .. It's no secret. In addition to the U.S., at least six countries are known to be actively developing information warfare programs designed to cripple the IT, economic and military infrastructure of their potential adversaries. However, a classified CIA warning, which detailed China's plans to launch cyberattacks against U.S. business and military networks and was made public late last month, grossly misrepresents the threat to those responsible for protecting government and private IT networks in the U.S., experts said last week. "China is developing a cyberattack capability, but it appears it is a component of their overall military strategy, to be used in case of [conventional] war," said Vince Cannistraro, former director of counterintelligence at the CIA. Although experts agree that other nations and even terrorist groups are researching cheap and easy ways to use IT to offset the U.S.'s conventional military might, they say most reports have exaggerated the threat. Information warfare isn't something that's launched without plans for a conventional war, and terrorists have shown little interest in the bloodless outcome of cyberattacks, said Eric Shaw, a former CIA clinical psychologist and profiler. The link for this article located at IDG is no longer available. . It's no secret. In addition to the U.S., at least six countries are known to be actively developing . secret, addition, least, countries, known, actively, developing. . LinuxSecurity.com Team

May 08, 2002 • LinuxSecurity.com Team Hacks/Cracks