The US Is Facing A Catastrophic Cyber Attack
The US Cyberspace Solarium Commission, a bipartisan body of lawmakers, intelligence officials and others, has claimed in its Report that the country faces multiple threats from cyber-criminals and nation states. In its new report the CSC has warned that the nation is “dangerously insecure in cyber,” and recommended a series of actions intended to avert damaging attacks on critical infrastructure and the financial system.
The US is facing a “catastrophic cyber-attack” which could create lasting damage exceeding that of the many serious fires, floods and hurricanes the country has had to endure, according to a new analysis from a federal commission.
The Report says that digital connectivity that has brought economic growth, technological dominance and an improved quality of life to nearly every American has also created a strategic dilemma.The more digital connections people make and data they exchange, the more opportunities adversaries have to destroy private lives, disrupt critical infrastructure and damage our economic and democratic institutions, the Report states.
The report notes that about 95 per cent of successful cyber-attacks are the fault of what he called “rookie mistakes that people making in configuring technology, or [poor] digital hygiene, not patching, retaining default passwords.”
Named after President Dwight Eisenhower’s 1953 Project Solarium on strategic challenges, the 182-page Report makes 75 recommendations across the public and private sector, while presenting several draft bills and proposing changes to government departments and the creation of a National Cyber Director.
“The United States now operates in a cyber-landscape that requires a level of data security, resilience and trustworthiness that neither the US government nor the private sector alone is currently equipped to provide... Moreover, shortfalls in agility, technical expertise and unity of effort, both within the US government and between the public and private sectors, are growing.”
To tackle these challenges, the commission advocated a “layered cyber-deterrence” approach designed to “shape behavior, deny benefits and impose costs.”
The first requires the US to work with allies to promote responsible behavior in cyberspace, the second, to work with the private sector to enhance security, and the third, to retain the capacity to retaliate against enemies in cyberspace.
The Reports strategy outlines three ways to achieve this end state:
- Shape behavior The United States must work with allies and partners to promote responsible behavior in cyberspace.
- Deny benefits The United States must deny benefits to adversaries who have long exploited cyberspace to their advantage, to American disadvantage, and at little cost to themselves.
This new approach requires securing critical networks in collaboration with the private sector to promote national resilience and increase the security of the cyber ecosystem. - Impose costs The United States must maintain the capability, capacity, and credibility needed to retaliate against actors who target America in and through cyberspace.
US Future
The report stated that neither the US government nor the private sector is prepared to meet today’s cyber threats and that existing shortfalls in preparedness are getting worse. Therefore, the status quo in cyberspace is unacceptable. The current state of affairs invites aggression and establishes a dangerous pattern of actors attacking the United States without fear of reprisal. Adversaries are increasing their cyber capabilities while US vulnerabilities continue to grow.
There is much that the US government can do to improve its defenses and reduce the risk of a significant attack, but it is clear that government action alone is not enough.
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