US seeks right to wage cyberwar on whoever it likes

THE BUSH administration proposes to allow itself to wage cyber war on other nations if it feels threatened, according to a new draft version of its "National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace". The initial draft document published has been updated and passed under some knowing eyes. According to the Associated Press, the new draft contains fewer initiatives and dishes out responsibilities between the new Department of War, sorry, Homeland Security, and the CIA.

And, according to AP, which has seen the draft, the US will reserve "the right to respond in an appropriate manner, including through cyber warfare." The US need not "be limited to criminal prosecution" if attacked cyberly, it says.

The document suggests the CIA and the FBI be given the job of disrupting other countries "cyber" efforts to gain intelligence on US government agencies, while the Department of Homeland Security gets the job of shoring up the security of the Internet with special reference to ensuing essential utilities such as water and power are not vulnerable to hack attacks.

The initial draft of the strategy blames attacks by viruses like the NIMDA worm for the need for a national cybersecurity strategy. "The nation's economy is increasingly dependent on cyberspace," it says. "It is a mistake to think that past levels of cyber damage are accurate indicators of the future. Much worse can happen."

View: National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace