[SCADASEC] US Cyber Command May be Shuttered Before It Launches andRussia-Georgia Conflict

[Hatton, Louis]

Interesting stuff.  Perhaps the Air Force is being replaced by the Navy 

<http://www.darkreading.com/blog.asp?blog_sectionid=447&doc_id=161291> 

By The Naval Postgraduate School which came in first this year at DefCon
Hacker, and has been a top contender for several years in a row....



On a more serious side, this is not surprising to me.  Any way you can
confuse your opponent is of immense value.  The art of misdirection is
very valuable and can save lives, material and money.  Do not forget,
war does cost money.  If you can shut it down and not damage it, then
you can use it when you need it.  So consider this.  Shut down the
opponents infrastructure, lock up the computer systems so that they can
not get back in, then occupy the territory, and then reactivate the
infrastructure.  Done properly, you can provide proof that you are the
good guys and win over the opposition to your side.  



-----Original Message-----
From: scadasec-bounces at news.infracritical.com
[mailto:scadasec-bounces at news.infracritical.com] On Behalf Of Bryan L
Singer
Sent: Wednesday, August 13, 2008 4:55 PM
To: scadasec at news.infracritical.com
Subject: [SCADASEC] US Cyber Command May be Shuttered Before It Launches
andRussia-Georgia Conflict

This comes at an interesting time, and especially the note about
cyberwar being launched by Russia preceding the Georgia incursion.  I
subscribe to an open source intelligence feed (Stratfor.com), and had
seen some mentions that suggested cyber attacks might have occurred.
Anyone here know anything else?

 

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,403342,00.html

 

Article Text

 


Report: Defense Department Might Shutter Cyber Warfare Unit Before
Launch


Wednesday, August 13, 2008

WASHINGTON -  The Pentagon this week delayed and may kill the Air
Force's nascent Cyberspace Command, according to a memo obtained by The
Associated Press. This comes as Russia used a major computer network
attack to begin its assault on Georgia.

The service's Cyberspace Command is meant to coordinate computer network
defense and, more controversially, offensive attacks on enemy networks.
The goal, according to senior officials, is to be able to take control
of adversary computer networks to thwart attacks or otherwise influence
their
behavior-- either with or without that adversary realizing it.

The Russian computer takedown served the same purpose as a traditional
air attack on enemy radars and communications antennae, said Michael
Wynne, the former U.S. Air Force Secretary who made cyberwar a central
mission of the Air Force.

"The Russians just shot down the government command nets so they could
cover their incursion," said Wynne. "This was really one of the first
aspects of a coordinated military action that had cyber as a lead force,
instead of sending in air planes. We need to figure out a way not only
see the attack coming but to block it, and in blocking it chase it
home."

"I think this is a very poor time to send a signal that the United
States is not interested in focusing on warfighting in the cyber
domain," Wynne added.

Wynne was fired by Defense Secretary Robert
<http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,403342,00.html>  Gates earlier this
year after the Air Force's mishandling of nuclear weapons. Wynne,
however, told reporters he was fired over differences with Gates on the
need for additional F-22 fighter jets, among other matters.

In a memo distributed throughout the Air Force this week, service
officials announced that manning and budget transfers for Air Force
Cyberspace Command have been suspended, delaying the command's official
Oct. 1 start. The Pentagon
<http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,403342,00.html>  and the Air Force
are expected to make a decision as to the command's fate later this
month. The command is temporarily based at Barksdale Air Force Base, La,
and will eventually have a headquarters staff of about 500 people, and
8,000 personnel total.

The Air Force considers cyberspace a "domain" for which the service
should train and equip forces to defend, as it does airspace. There are
about 3 million attempted penetrations of Defense
<http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,403342,00.html>  Department
networks every day, according to the Air Force.

A senior military commander told the AP, however, that the mission to
defend U.S. military networks is better vested in U.S. Strategic
Command, which has the military responsibility for cyberspace across all
services and commands.

Russia's <http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,403342,00.html>  use of
computer tools to blind Georgia may not be the first time it has flexed
its cyber powers for geopolitical purposes. In the spring of 2007,
Estonian government, financial and media Web sites were incapacitated by
a massive denial of service attack for which many in that country blamed
Russia. The attack, involving a million computers in 75 countries,
coincided with controversy over Estonia's plans to relocate a Soviet-era
war memorial.

According to an August "for official use only" intelligence report by
the Homeland Security
<http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,403342,00.html>
Department, obtained by The Associated Press, there are no effective
means to prevent a similar attack on U.S. Web sites connected to the
Internet.