Should the US Go Offensive In Cyberwarfare?

The NYTimes has a piece analyzing the policy discussions in the US around the question of what should be the proper stance towards offensive cyberwarfare. This is a question that the Bush administration wrestled with, before deciding that the outgoing president didn't have the political capital left to grapple with it. The article notes two instances in which President Bush approved the use of offensive cyberattacks; but these were exceptions, and the formation of a general policy was left to the Obama administration. "Senior Pentagon and military officials also express deep concern that the laws and understanding of armed conflict have not kept current with the challenges of offensive cyberwarfare. Over the decades, a number of limits on action have been accepted — if not always practiced. One is the prohibition against assassinating government leaders. Another is avoiding attacks aimed at civilians. Yet in the cyberworld, where the most vulnerable targets are civilian, there are no such rules or understandings. If a military base is attacked, would it be a proportional, legitimate response to bring down the attacker's power grid if that would also shut down its hospital systems, its air traffic control system, or its banking system?"

Offensive?

[oahazmatt]

Why? Just contract /b/ to do all the dirty work for you.

It could be the Blackwater of Online Warfare.

Re:Offensive?

[emocomputerjock]

Now if only you could figure out a way to convince them that they are your personal army.

putting vital systems on the Internet

[viralMeme]

"If a military base is attacked, would it be a proportional, legitimate response to bring down the attacker's power grid if that would also shut down its hospital systems, its air traffic control system, or its banking system?"

What country would be foolish enough to connect its power grid, hospital systems, air traffic control and it's banking system to the Internet.

No cyber-waterboarding or cyber-torture

[Anonymous Coward]

I can just imagine the streaming video of masked men slowly lowering a powered-up motherboard into water while yelling "why did you portscan us?"

Re:Why not?

[Anonymous Coward]

They will take a look at it as soon as they finish playing with their airplanes.

Re:Offensive?

[homain]

promises of boxxy naked should do the trick

And i thought.

[pottymouth]

This was about Arlen Specter.

Re:Offensive?

[Anonymous Coward]

problem is that the Pentagon doesn't leik Mudkips.

Re:No cyber-waterboarding or cyber-torture

[Anonymous Coward]

Why do I actually feel pain at the thought of that motherboard being shorted in the water?

Perhaps I'm too close to technology.

What a pointless question.

[DarkEntity]

As an American, I think I already am pretty offensive to most people on the Internet.

Re:"Just like the atomic bomb"

[teh kurisu]

Stop an excuse to go to war? This nation? I think not.

You make it sound like you have a choice in the matter. Yours is the nation that brought the world Norton Antivirus; of course you're not stopping an attack.

Re:what the US should do

[World.Pop(MPAA)]

CLI baby. Go back to X windows from a command line. if the user doesnt want to do anything but what they have to on the computer, they won't be doing things that they shouldn't.

I think that's the most retarded comment of the day.

Re:No cyber-waterboarding or cyber-torture

[Idiomatick]

That isn't funny, that's just sick.