Obama Signs Executive Order on How to Conduct Cyberwarfare
- Posted on June 22, 2011 at 7:30am by
Jonathon M. Seidl
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WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama has signed executive orders that lay out how far military commanders around the globe can go in using cyberattacks and other computer-based operations against enemies and as part of routine espionage in other countries.
The orders detail when the military must seek presidential approval for a specific cyber assault on an enemy and weave cyber capabilities into U.S. war fighting strategy, defense officials and cyber security experts told The Associated Press.
Signed more than a month ago, the orders cap a two-year Pentagon effort to draft U.S. rules of the road for cyber warfare, and come as the U.S. begins to work with allies on global ground rules.
The guidelines are much like those that govern the use of other weapons of war, from nuclear bombs to missiles to secret surveillance, the officials said.
In a broad new strategy document, the Pentagon lays out some of the cyber capabilities the military may use during peacetime and conflict. They range from planting a computer virus to using cyberattacks to bring down an enemy’s electrical grid or defense network.
“You don’t have to bomb them anymore. That’s the new world,” said James Lewis, cybersecurity expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
The new Pentagon strategy, he said, lays out cyber as a new warfare domain and stresses the need to fortify network defenses, protect critical infrastructure and work with allies and corporate partners.
The entire strategy has not been released, but several U.S. officials described it on condition of anonymity. Many aspects of it have been made public by U.S. officials, including Deputy Defense Secretary William Lynn, in speeches over the past several months.
The Pentagon is expected to announce the entire strategy soon.
As an example, the new White House guidelines would allow the military to transmit computer code to another country’s network to test the route and make sure connections work – much like using satellites to take pictures of a location to scout out missile sites or other military capabilities.
The digital code would be passive and could not include a virus or worm that could be triggered to do harm at a later date. But if the U.S. ever got involved in a conflict with that country, the code would have mapped out a path for any offensive cyberattack to take, if approved by the president.
The guidelines also make clear that when under attack, the U.S. can defend itself by blocking cyber intrusions and taking down servers in another country. And, as in cases of mortar or missile attacks, the U.S. has the right to pursue attackers across national boundaries – even if those are virtual network lines.
“We must be able to defend and operate freely in cyberspace,” Lynn said in a speech last week in Paris. The U.S., he said, must work with other countries to monitor networks and share threat information.
Lynn and others also say the Pentagon must more aggressively protect the networks of defense contractors that possess valuable information about military systems and weapons’ designs. In a new pilot program, the Defense Department has begun sharing classified threat intelligence with a handful of companies to help them identify and block malicious cyber activity on their networks.
Over time, Lynn said, the program could be a model for the Homeland Security Department as it works with companies that run critical infrastructure such as power plants, the electric grid and financial systems.
Members of Congress are working on a number of bills to address cybersecurity and have encouraged such public-private partnerships, particularly to secure critical infrastructure. But they also warn of privacy concerns.
“We must institute strict oversight to ensure that no personal communications or sensitive data are inappropriately shared with the government by businesses,” said Rep. Jim Langevin, D-R.I., who served as co-chairman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ cybersecurity commission.
Cyber security experts and defense officials have varying views of cyber war, but they agree that it will be a part of any future conflict.
At a recent Capitol Hill hearing, incoming Pentagon chief Leon Panetta, the outgoing CIA director, said the U.S. must be aggressive in offensive and defensive countermeasures.
“I‘ve often said that there’s a strong likelihood that the next Pearl Harbor that we confront could very well be a cyberattack that cripples our power systems, our grid, our security systems, our financial systems, our governmental systems,” he said.
Stewart Baker, a former Homeland Security official, said Americans need to come to grips with the idea that cyber warfare could hit the U.S. homeland.
“We‘ve had 50 years in which we haven’t really had to rethink what might happen in a war here,” he said. “We need to think very hard about an actual strategy about how to win a war in which cyber weapons are prominently featured.”
Part of that thinking, Baker said, involves ensuring that the U.S. has strong firewalls to prevent attacks and that there are established routes into the networks of potential enemies.
But officials also say that cyber capabilities must be put in perspective.
“It’s a decisive weapon, but it’s not a super weapon,” said Lewis. “It’s not a nuclear bomb.”
It is, however, a new weapon that hackers, criminals and other nations are honing. Already hackers have breached military networks and weapons programs, including key defense contractor Lockheed Martin.
Military officials have also warned repeatedly of cyberattacks and intrusions coming out of China, Russia and Eastern Europe.
“Regrettably,” Lynn said, “few weapons in the history of warfare, once created, have gone unused. For this reason, we must have the capability to defend against the full range of cyber threats.”
Lynn predicted that terror groups eventually will learn how to launch crippling cyberattacks.
Important questions linger about the role of neutral countries. Hackers routinely route their attacks through networks of innocent computers that could be anywhere, including in the U.S. Often it may be difficult to tell exactly where an attack originated or who did it, although forensic capabilities are steadily improving.
That issue was clear during the cyberattack against Estonia in 2007 that used thousands of infected computers to cripple dozens of government and corporate websites.
Estonia has blamed Russia for the attack. But, according to Robert Giesler, the Pentagon’s former director of information operations, 17 percent of the computers that attacked Estonia were in the United States. He said the question is: Did the Estonians have the right to attack the U.S. in response, and what responsibility did the U.S. bear?
Under the new Pentagon guidelines, it would be unacceptable to deliberately route a cyberattack through another country if that nation has not given permission – much like U.S. fighter jets need permission to fly through another nation’s airspace.
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Comments (81)
flsnipe
Posted on June 22, 2011 at 10:41amCyber warfare? Send an E.M.P and end it thats all . But we will Pussyfoot around and send spam we don’t ever fight to win anymore just to slow them down!!
Report Post »Julie2010
Posted on June 22, 2011 at 10:21amAnother Executive Order?
He’s throwing them around like they free candy he stole from the store.
Report Post »MichiganPatriot
Posted on June 22, 2011 at 10:06amWhat we do not need is Government controlling more of our lives, this is how our liberty dies and we revert back to a monarchy of sorts, the road to serfdom is almost ended and we are soon to be serfs. This is just one more thing that that have stolen from us in the silence of our ignorance, as we worry about Anthony Weiner and his marrital problems the Obama machine is stealing our freedoms with executive orders one by one by one, a little nudge her a little nudge there. WAKE UP ZOMBIES YOUR ALMOST COMPLETELY IRRELEVANT! The land of freedom is no more, it will take a serious serious event to wake america up, something that will effect each and everyone of us. 9/11 was a small wakeup but it only affected a small area of the country. Soon you will see just how much a police state we are currently in….Prepare my fellow patriots it will get bloody, it is the only answer to our restoration of freedom. Remeber from our history Freedom is not Free it has to be taken fromtyrants who chose to oppress us with multitudes of regulation and deception.
Report Post »Richard Compton
Posted on June 22, 2011 at 9:53amThose who would give their personnal freedom and security into the hands of others soon find that they have neither freedom or security! Executive order or not be carefull what you ask for it may not be what you thought it is or was.
Report Post »santacary
Posted on June 22, 2011 at 9:32amand the king said ” so let it be wirtten ,so let it be done ”
Report Post »i have no King but, King Jesus.
i will do as the one who can destroy my soul ,tells me not a man .
CulperGang
Posted on June 22, 2011 at 9:31amThe silent coup as the gang on the Hill stand by and watches. Now the US is governed(err..ruled) by executive order, in all matters. So why are we paying for Senators/Congresspersons if Obama is “ruling” via executive order????
OT . on alex j. show, Walid Shoebat confirmed Abedin/Weiner IS obviously in the muslimsisterhood. The Quoran also states, Muslims are not to be “equally” yoked. So this Pakistani/Arab woman marries a JEW! a Jew of all people, the very people she is to KILL!!!
Report Post »Shoebat states if she has not been ostracised that only means one thing that is acceptable, to other Muslims “she had a higher purpose.” Abedin/Clinton alliance = treason. The whole US government is infested with enemies of the state.
heavywx
Posted on June 22, 2011 at 9:23amProtect yourself, here’s a few websites that will help you with that. Your home PC can be one of the biggest threats in your home unless you take steps to correct the problem.
secure your ports
http://www.techradar.com/news/networking/how-to-secure-your-tcp-ip-ports-633089
set your firewall ingress and egress filters
http://www.sans.org/reading_room/whitepapers/firewalls/egress-filtering-faq_1059
http://www.sans.org/reading_room/whitepapers/firewalls/performing-egress-filtering_32878
encrypt your entire hard drive
http://www.truecrypt.org/
If you can’t encrypt then atleast clean.
http://www.piriform.com/CCLEANER
This is just a portion of the things you can do to protect yourself in cyberspace and the real world
Report Post »tower7femacamp
Posted on June 22, 2011 at 5:41pmThanks man
Report Post »nomercy63
Posted on June 22, 2011 at 9:19amIf it is like any of his other decisions it will be f*** up too!!!!!!!!!!!!
Report Post »Ghandi was a Republican
Posted on June 22, 2011 at 9:07amThese are people who rule through blackmail. Finding or fabricating dirt is their way. This is the only way they can get otherwise honest people to fall their way. The progs stop at nothing for their decrepit, dis-proven agenda
Report Post »tiredofprogressives
Posted on June 22, 2011 at 9:02amAnother bumbling idiotic statement from this ***** Irish Kenyan “president”.
Just like Iran’s cyberwarfare right Obozo?
Report Post »TheLeftMadeMeRight
Posted on June 22, 2011 at 8:52am“weave cyber capabilities into U.S. war fighting strategy”
Maybe he got that idea from the Chinese?
Report Post »TruthisHealthy
Posted on June 22, 2011 at 8:46amtreasonous bastard.
Report Post »NJTMATO
Posted on June 22, 2011 at 8:18amI’d like to think this is a good thing, really I would. Unfortunately, I am more inclined to agree with Snowleopard in that BO has once again bypassed Congress….why? Wouldn’t it have been helpful to get some input from everyone…not just your cronies? Presidential Kill Switch indeed! Also, how better to control the people to find out “who the enemy is”? I just think this smells a bit too fishy, like so much else in this administration. Be a prepper!!!!
Report Post »jaxy
Posted on June 22, 2011 at 8:17amThe problem is that all the infrastructure and “cyber weapons” will the be available for home use as well. Didn’t need an executive order if there was nothing potentially controversial or distaste full to the American people in it.
Report Post »sister1_rm
Posted on June 22, 2011 at 8:14amIf this is such a great thing, then why the executive order? It sounds good on the surface, but I’ve learned not to trust this administration.
Report Post »Apple Bite
Posted on June 22, 2011 at 8:13amPandora’s Box….
Report Post »riseandshine
Posted on June 22, 2011 at 8:12amI don’t trust anything coming from a corrupt administration…..Democrat or Republican
Report Post »RepubliCorp
Posted on June 22, 2011 at 8:36amusing this logic,,,zero would ever be done about anything. by anyone
Report Post »riseandshine
Posted on June 22, 2011 at 9:17amperfect
Report Post »Czar Casm
Posted on June 22, 2011 at 10:50amWith all due respect Republicorp, that’s the problem. Everyone is looking to the government to solve all their problems. Who in their right mind would put their faith and hope in any corrupt institution.
Report Post »The fed’s should only take care of what is outlined in the constitution as their responsibility. Everything else is up to you and me, our communities, our states.
RepubliCorp
Posted on June 22, 2011 at 11:30amCZAR CASM so we don’t need a military?
Report Post »Czar Casm
Posted on June 22, 2011 at 12:57pmI didn’t say that. Where do you come up with that? Read article 1 section 8. …”To provide defence of.” And further down there’s the army, there’s the navy, there’s a militia. The constitution also makes the president commander in chief. Commander of ……what? Must be of the military. Do we need a standing army? That’s debatable.
I hope you really don’t think nothing can be done outside of government involvement. Come on man, what ever happened to that spirit of rugged individualism that made this country great?
Report Post »Saved777
Posted on June 22, 2011 at 8:07amIs there no secrecy anymore? Attention all enemies, read in detail how we plan to combat you in the future… geeze
Report Post »Cuthalu
Posted on June 22, 2011 at 8:03amAt what point will people finally understand, the free Republic our founding fathers bleed and died for has long ago been taken from us, decades ago? When will others finally open their eyes to the truth?
Report Post »Dustyluv
Posted on June 22, 2011 at 8:21amWhen it’s too damn late to do anything about it…That’s when. This society is asleep, or watching America’s got talent. They don’t even realize their country is being taken away…
Report Post »Ron_WA
Posted on June 22, 2011 at 7:51amThis is probably a good thing. We need official guidance & limits on cyber activities conducted by the DoD. Now the Pentagon can use this guidance & develop both Standing Rules of Engagement & wartime ROE. This will prevent subordinate elements from going rogue.
Report Post »Darla_K
Posted on June 22, 2011 at 8:39amIf this is so good, why did he bypass congress?
Report Post »MorMice
Posted on June 22, 2011 at 11:01am((he “bypassed” so he could get something essential to national security done without being hassled hampered and disrespected by the party of NO))
Report Post »BOMUSTGO
Posted on June 22, 2011 at 7:38amI think L.A.C.T. is one of them!
Report Post »BOMUSTGO
Posted on June 22, 2011 at 7:37amHow do they determine just WHO the enemy is??????!!!!!!!?????!!!!!!
Report Post »chips1
Posted on June 22, 2011 at 1:29pmSince when do we allow the enemy to sign Exec. Orders to protect himself? It doesn’t pass the smell test.
Report Post »smokie
Posted on June 22, 2011 at 5:08pmOn the “Man and his dog” thread, there are posts complaining of the video replaced with a clip from “The Dark Knight”’ and malicious viruses.
…. Just sayin’.
Report Post »NickDeringer
Posted on June 22, 2011 at 7:37amAnother Executive Order from the Imperial Executive. He’s just warming up, folks. Wait until he signs the executive order implementing the DREAM act.
Report Post »Selecao_USSA
Posted on June 22, 2011 at 10:51amIt seems weird that a bill was passed defining cyber defense weeks ago (which should’ve had some “rules of the road” in it). The President hasn’t signed that legislation, but goes for an Exec Order…
Something’s definitely afoot here.
Report Post »teddrunk
Posted on June 22, 2011 at 7:34amWow, cyber attacks by our military. How long before they can use it on us? Or have they already?
Report Post »Ron_WA
Posted on June 22, 2011 at 7:53amWe could have used this on anyone on-line at anytime but existing Rules of Engagement & regulations prohibit this from being used on US persons. This will help codify existing regs.
Report Post »tower7femacamp
Posted on June 22, 2011 at 11:19amI’m sure our days are numbered
Report Post »But I will stand with the Truth
and not die lying to myself.
Patrick in AZ
Posted on June 22, 2011 at 12:00pmI am comfortable with the military having this ability; would not be comfortable with DHS or any other civilian agency having it. There are a lot of rules and oversights built in with the military to curb abuses – not 100% obviously, but true efforts to prevent abuses are exercised every day.
Report Post »SpankDaMonkey
Posted on June 22, 2011 at 7:32am.
Obama Signs Executive Order on How to Conduct Cyberwarfare…
Aren’t we a threat to his re-election?……..
Report Post »--> © SHTFRadio.com Preparedness Radio Show <--
Posted on June 22, 2011 at 7:36am@SpankDaMonkey
Report Post »——————————————————————-
That is why it needs PRESIDENTIAL approval
——————————————————————-
Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on June 22, 2011 at 7:51amInteresting is it not on how once again he has bypassed the Congress on this matter; and specifics on how it will also be used as a framework for the Dept of Homeland Security as well? This appears to be another part of the back door takeover of cyberspace by the administration.
So, where in the executive fiat decree is hidden the Presidential Kill Switch as well?
I have to wonder if there will be a very conveinent cyber attack, say for the classical October Suprise in ‘12 – and Mr Obama will have another excuse to crack down on things and appear as the great saviouir of America to everyone caught up in his delusional nightmares.
Report Post »RepubliCorp
Posted on June 22, 2011 at 7:54amOn this one I agree with Obama…… we need rules of engagement
Report Post »lovenfl3
Posted on June 22, 2011 at 7:59amYet another example of the liberal mindset. When Bush was president, the left cried about the Patriot Act. Now that Obama is president, they somehow all support the Patriot Act, even expanding it, and now this. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGMl5TBfepc Just like the video Bush war abd, Obama war good. That’s the liberal mindset.
Report Post »Ballgame
Posted on June 22, 2011 at 8:02amI’m all for it. Security of the United States is the one thing the U.S. Government it responsible for. Now if we could get their fingers out of everything else.
Report Post »hauschild
Posted on June 22, 2011 at 8:07amNext will be his civilian force that will be “as strong as the military”.
This dude is freakin’ creepy.
Report Post »one years food ration like glenn says
Posted on June 22, 2011 at 8:11amAmazing how much this guy loves a pen and an executive order …I bet he takes them both to bed…
Report Post »Dustyluv
Posted on June 22, 2011 at 8:18amThis one is going to bite the Patriot in the a@@ eventually. It’s like a bad pair of underwear, it’s gonna creep up on you…Soon a blog or a post against this ***** President will be a threat…Count on it.
Report Post »cessna152
Posted on June 22, 2011 at 8:32amThe only thing government does not regulate is the internet and the electronic industry… hence the rapid advancement and competition. Sadly, he will be pulling the plug on the one last “free” industry.
Halocaust survivor gives account of incremantal steps of Hitler… truly AMAZING! This administration are NOT Marxists they are National Socialists! Her story is unbelievable and shows how Hitler’s propaganda convinced the populace to vote for and trust him.
Report Post »http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAvMHWhdEUU&feature=youtu.be
Edward
Posted on June 22, 2011 at 8:48amObama already has his civilian army its called the TSA
Report Post »V-MAN MACE
Posted on June 22, 2011 at 9:26amThey’re the only ones conducting cyberwarfare…Against Alex Jones’ Infowars and Prison Planet.
RESIST THE STASI POLICE STATE!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBVVfed4cpA
Report Post »TexasCommonSense
Posted on June 22, 2011 at 9:39amI’m sick of Executive orders. Approve it through the congress as intended. Executive order, the Führer as spoken.
Report Post »tower7femacamp
Posted on June 22, 2011 at 11:11amFREEEEEDOOOM !!!!! I want my freedom back
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plo-1rLZ3Jo&feature=related
Report Post »Rational Man
Posted on June 22, 2011 at 12:37pm“You don’t have to bomb them anymore. That’s the new world,” said James Lewis, cybersecurity expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
———————————————————————————————————————
So what is he saying? If someone comes at us with a gun, we hit them with a laptop?
Report Post »Sure there is a place for cyber warfare, but in the end, a strong well armed military and good intel is the main line of defense. Does he think that if we just scramble their computers they will stop attacking us? Will the southern border be safer? Stop terrorists and suicide bombers? Will it stop economic warfare against America? Will it ‘fix’ the morons in Washington?
Sure the cyber stuff needs to excel, but that statement is a little overblown, I think, to bolster himself and his Center for Strategic and International Studies government grants and funding.
2smart
Posted on June 22, 2011 at 12:45pmThe only rules of engagement should be hit hard, hit fast and use overwhelming firepower, anything else brings the possibility of failure.
Report Post »rpp
Posted on June 22, 2011 at 1:09pmAs Commander-in-Cheif of the military, despite the fact that I strongly disagree with this Obama on nearly every issue, this is exactly the what he should be doing. While the actual details, policies and procedure can be debated, establishing those policies and and procedure is what a responsible commander does.
The real test is their application.
Report Post »JRook
Posted on June 22, 2011 at 1:59pm@RepubliCorp Good for you. It is refreshing to see the occasional person here actually read, think through the information and render a rational response. You will notice it is killing the anti-Obama folks to render credit or say something positive when it is deserved.
Report Post »DisillusionedDaily
Posted on June 22, 2011 at 4:54pmI did not know that Obama was a computer/cyber expert in addition to his skills on economy building, the Constitution, bi-partisanship, transparency and solving international problems by presidential declarations of war. He seems to be a multi talented man.
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