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CIA & Cyberwar

By Jon Elliston
Dossier Editor
PSCP Docs

An Electronic Pearl Harbor?

The rapid expansion of computer communications has introduced a new set of priorities for U.S. military and intelligence agencies, and according to CIA Director John Deutch, the United States is planning major advancements in its capability to wage so-called "information warfare." Deutch spoke publicly for the first time on the topic on June 25, when he appeared before the Senate Subcommittee on Governmental Affairs.

"The electron," Deutch said, "is the ultimate precision-guided weapon." He warned that U.S. national security is threatened by hostile foreign governments and pesky hackers, who seek to tap into, and perhaps disrupt, classified military databases and networks. "We have evidence that a number of countries around the world are developing the doctrine, strategies, and tools to conduct information attacks," Deutch reported.

Senator Sam Nunn (D-Ga.), who chaired the hearing, raised the issue of "an electronic Pearl Harbor" against the "national information infrastructure," and asked "are we fully alerted to this danger now?" Deutch's answer had an ominous tinge: "I think that we are fully alerted to it now. I don't know whether we will face an electronic Pearl Harbor, but we will have, I'm sure, some very unpleasant circumstances. I'm certainly prepared to predict some very, very large and uncomfortable incidents."

Though much of the recent hubbub over information warfare has been focused on military matters and battlefield scenarios, Deutch said that cyberwar could also threaten civilian government and private sector information transactions. "My greatest concern is that hackers, terrorist organizations, or other nations might use information warfare techniques as part of a coordinated attack designed to seriously disrupt" the computer systems U.S. businesses and government agencies increasingly rely on, he said.

Having identified the potential threat of info-attackers, Deutch spoke briefly on plans to mount a defense. He announced plans to establish an "Information Warfare Technology Center," which will coordinate the cyberwar activities of the intelligence community and be run by the National Security Agency, which conducts U.S. eavesdropping and "signals intelligence" operations. Deutch also pledged that the CIA would share information with private companies "in an appropriate way" to help them ward off electronic intrusions.

While Deutch's testimony offered a rare public indication of the CIA's interest in computer combat, the Defense Department's cyberwar concerns have recently received a great deal of attention. In May, the U.S. General Accounting Office reported that during the last year alone American military computers were targeted with some 250,000 unauthorized intrusion attempts. A Pentagon analyst recently authored a widely-discussed "strategic assessment" on the internet, in which he argued that computer communication "is playing an increasingly significant role in international security, a role that is potentially important to DoD." (To read the Defense Department's "Internet Strategic Assessment", see our next page)

Deutch's testimony indicates that the CIA, like the Defense Department, is sounding the alarm on the infowar threat. Since the end of the Cold War, the CIA has struggled to find duties that justify its continued existence. The battle against enemy electrons provides the CIA with one such reason to live, and Deutch's recent comments suggest the Agency is eager to launch the covert action trade into cyberspace.

... up next: The DOD's Evaluation The Internet Strategic Assesment demonstrates the Defense Department's interest in the Internet regarding national security and dissemination of propaganda.

CIA & Cyberwar -- DoD's Evaluation -- Deutch's Statement -- Sources

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