Tuesday, February 2, 2010

New threats compel DOD to rethink cyber strategy -- Defense Systems

New threats compel DOD to rethink cyber strategy -- Defense Systems: "The Defense Department’s widely heralded decision to create a new Cyber Command by October 2009 is still languishing in limbo. Confirmation hearings have yet to be scheduled for the prospective commander, National Security Agency director Army Lt. Gen. Keith Alexander. And efforts to kick-start the organization have been delayed by congressional concerns over the organization.
Meanwhile, adversaries working in the cyber domain aren’t sitting still. In December, hackers reportedly stole a classified PowerPoint slide deck that details South Korean and U.S. strategy for fighting a war with North Korea. And in Iraq, it was revealed that insurgents had intercepted Predator feeds using software they downloaded from the Internet.
Regardless of how quickly the Cyber Command moves forward, DOD is starting to shift its philosophic focus on network operations from information assurance to mission assurance — recognizing that as the Global Information Grid (GIG) comes under perpetual attack, efforts to deliver information services essential to operators will also need to shift from a focus on total network security to one of risk management."