At a time when governments are worried about the choking of the Internet at an upcoming conference, the U.S. Air Force announces that it’s looking for the latest in cyberwar techniques.
According to Computerworld U.S., the department is looking for technologies and concepts that can be used in a cyberspace warfare attack to “disrupt, deny, degrade, destroy, or deceive an adversary’s ability to use the cyberspace domain to his advantage,” as well technologies that could result in “the adversary entering conflicts in a degraded state.”
(Cyberwar image from Shutterstock)
It could strike a cynic — or the leader of an authoritarian state — that it’s somewhat disingenious for the U.S., Canada and other countries to worry about certain nations trying to gain control over the Internet within their borders (see “Congress to ITU: Hands off the Internet”) while they stock cyber wepons of their own. Who else would benefit from an open Internet?
But the fact of the matter is it’s an ugly world where hypocracies have abounded for centuries. Weapons can be defensive as well as offensive, and every country has to be prepared.
So put your thinking caps on, churn out a few pages of research and send them to Washington. And put a cc: to Ottawa as well.