India Internet News
Pentagon Develops Cyber-Weapons And Tools
02 June 2011
The Pentagon has drawn up a list of cyber-weapons and tools, along with viruses that can damage the opponent's critical networks, to streamline the way US involves in computer warfare. The classified list of capabilities are in use for various months and was approved by other agencies, along with the CIA, said military officers who spoke on the condition of anonymity to explain a sensitive program.
The list is part of the Pentagon’s authorized weapons or “fires” that can be used against an enemy.
According to a senior military officer, “So whether it’s a tank, an M-16 or a computer virus, it’s going to follow the same rules so that we can understand how to employ it, when you can use it, when you can’t, what you can and can’t use.” The union of cyber-technologies and a formal structure of approved capabilities is in fact the most important operational development in military cyber-doctrine in years.
For example, the structure confirms that the military requires presidential authorization to target a foreign computer network and leave a cyber-virus that can be activated afterwards.
But the military do not require any confirmation to target foreign networks for various other activities such as learning the cyber-capabilities of enemies or inspecting how power plants or other networks work. In spite of have the presidential authorization, military cyber-warriors can even leave beacons to put spots for later targeting by viruses, as stated by the officers.
An example of a cyber-weapon is the Stuxnet worm that interrupted activities at an Iranian nuclear facility a year ago. U.S. officers didn't recognized the creation of the worm, but some experts assume they have a role. Under the new structure, the use of a weapon like Stuxnet can happen only if the president gave approval, even if it was utilized during the time of war, military officers stated. The use of any cyber-weapon should be proportional to the threat, not inflict unnecessary collateral damage and avoid civilian casualties.
The officers suggests the new structure comes since the Pentagon generated to leave a cyber-strategy that targets highly on defense.It didn't made a confirmed statement about what contains an act of war or use of force in cyberspace.
But, it tries to explain, among other things, that the US do not reply to a cyber-attack in kind but can use conventional force instead until it is relative. Still, another U.S. officer accepted that “the United States is actively developing and implementing” cyber-capabilities “to deter or deny a potential adversary the ability to use its computer systems” to target US.
Normally, under the structure, the usage of any cyber-weapon beyond an area of hostility or when the US is not at war is called “direct action” and need presidential confirmation, says one of the senior military officer.