By Colonel Forrest HARE
Air Attaché
Embassy of the United States in Kuala Lumpur
Overview
Several countries have begun to consider an approach to cyberspace operations modeled of the actions of other states that have out-sourced the cyber operation components of their military and intelligence community. Russia and China, for example, have promoted “patriotic hacking” to support the efforts of their nations in preparation for a potential conflict, or even during one. In these countries the civilian hacker community has been leveraged to gather intelligence and create cyber effects that support conventional military operations and other coercive actions. Thought leaders and officials in other countries, countries with limited ability to generate a professional cyber force, have argued it is necessary to “fight fire with fire” and follow the leads of the Russians and Chinese. In effect, they propose it would be more efficient to similarly rely on patriotic hacking groups to achieve their desired objectives in cyberspace. But is it a sound national policy to do so? Though cyberspace and its many complexities have only become national security issues in recent decades, the arguments made here are not without historical precedence
*Disclaimer: “The views expressed in this discussion are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of Defense or the U.S. Government.”
Event Status: By Invitation Only
Date: 20 April 2017
Venue : ISIS Conference Room, Level 2
