Monday, August 03, 2009
As the Obama administration begins formulating the first cyber-command operation in the federal government, officials will have to weigh the value of conducting attacks on foreign computer systems against collateral damage on unintended targets. Recent history demonstrates that cyberwarfare has its potential fallouts just like traditional armed conflicts, with civilians and innocent third-party nations becoming adversely affected.
In 2003, as the Bush administration was preparing the military for its invasion of Iraq, government computer experts were poised to unleash a massive cyber attack on Saddam Hussein’s government to freeze the monetary system and cripple the dictator’s ability to wage war. But the Bush White House chose not to authorize the attack for fear it would have devastating consequences across the Middle East and possibly affect financial systems in Europe and the United States.
The U.S. did jam satellite phone systems and cell phone networks as part of the attack on Iraq, which temporarily disrupted telephone service in nearby countries that shared telecommunications with Iraq. A similar assault was waged on Serbia in the late 1990s which interfered with the Intelsat satellite communications system for several days.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
Halted ’03 Iraq Plan Illustrates U.S. Fear of Cyberwar Risk (by John Markoff and Thom Shanker, New York Times)
Technology, Policy, Law, and Ethics Regarding U.S. Acquisition and Use of Cyberattack Capabilities (by William Owens, Kenneth Dam, and Herbert Lin, National Research Council)
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