Cyber Capabilities Example IT 298 / Bohman January 6 th, 2014

Cyber Capabilities – U.S. Offense Aggressive espionage through the planting of logic bombs in foreign countries’ infrastructure in preparation of potential cyber warfare Exploitation of system vulnerabilities and ability to create back doors using cyberweaponry Pretargeted cyber weapons Global connectivity maps giving rise to “network situational awareness,” which shows geographical location, software, potential malware infections, and exploitations Defense The Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation Task forces and cyber squads specially trained to identify and combat detected computer and network intrusions National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace: s/2010/0410_cybersec/docs/cyberspa ce_strategy%5B1%5D.pdf s/2010/0410_cybersec/docs/cyberspa ce_strategy%5B1%5D.pdf (U.S. Department of Justice, 2013)

Cyber Capabilities – China Offense Implementation of logic bombs in countries’ systems that have potential to be a threat in the future, or countries whose information is worth taking Asymmetric Warfare – Using obsolete forms of weaponry and combat against one more advanced Knowledge syphoning leading to leaps and bounds in technological prowess Defense Information Dominance – The country with the most gathered information is the country that prevails Ability to cut off sections of power to forego an entire blackout to a better extent than the U.S. Lowered dependence on network systems (Clarke & Knake, 2012)

Cyber Capabilities – Russia Offense Heightened espionage and exploitation abilities that are rarely exposed Broad view of information espionage that is integrated in military tactics ◦ “…intelligence, counterintelligence, deceit, disinformation, electronic warfare, debilitation of communications, degradation of navigation support, psychological pressure, degradation of information systems and propaganda.” Perfected Distributed Denial of Service attacks and botnets through test runs Defense Integrated military tactics are within the boundaries of Russian law Three main security objectives: ◦ Protect strategically important information ◦ Protect against dangerous foreign information ◦ Instill patriotism and values in citizens Uses youth groups to enact risky actions for added security and diminished pay (Smith, 2012)

Cyber Capabilities – Others “Other nations known to have skilled cyber war units are Israel and France. U.S. intelligence officials have suggested that there are twenty to thirty militaries with respectable cyber war capability, including those of Taiwan, Iran, Australia, South Korea, India, Pakistan, and several NATO states.” (Clarke & Knake, 2012)

Cyber Capabilities – Others Offense Australia – Developing offensive techniques that could destroy systems, exploitation of cyber power (Joye & Kerin, 2013) North Korea – Training for youth to become professional hackers, No. 91 Office (for computer hacking), espionage, DDoS attacks (Paganini, 2012) Defense Australia – Attractive target for attackers, Cyber Security Operations Centre responds to large threats (Joye & Kerin, 2013) North Korea – Lab 110 (technology reconnaissance team) (Clarke & Knake, 2012)

Who Might Win in a Real Cyberwar? It is difficult to say who would win in the event of a cyber war, as victory would depend on numerous factors that are difficult – if impossible – to predict. A country must display prominent tactics regarding both the offensive and defensive capabilities, unless a one-hit offense were enacted at the very beginning. Armed with the best possible reaction times and defense plans in a cyber crisis, to allow for recovery and counteraction to take place, has potential to offer stability in a nation hit by a cyber attack. In the end, however, it is all a matter of who is left standing after the damage has been done.

Sources Berman, I. (2012, April 26). The Iranian Cyber Threat to the U.S. Homeland. Retrieved from The House Committee on Homeland Security: Clarke, R. A., & Knake, R. K. (2012). Cyber War. New York: HarperCollins. Joye, C., & Kerin, J. (2013, May 6). Australia developing offensive cyber capabilities. Retrieved from Financial Review: ZL7tI ZL7tI Paganini, P. (2012, June 11). Concerns Mount over North Korean Cyber Warfare Capabilities. Retrieved from Infosec Island: Korean-Cyber-Warfare-Capabilities.htmlhttp:// Korean-Cyber-Warfare-Capabilities.html Schneier, B. (2013, June 21). US Offensive Cyberwar Policy. Retrieved from Schneier on Security: Smith, D. J. (2012, July). Russian Cyber Operations. Retrieved from Potomac Institute Cyber Center: U.S. Department of Justice. (2013). FBI — Cyber Crime. Retrieved from The Federal Bureau of Investigation: