Digital Acts of War: Evolving the Cybersecurity Conversation

As underscored by the former National Intelligence Director James Clapper in the Worldwide Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community, continuous innovation in cyber information technology has been accompanied by the emergence of new and complex national security threats. According to Director Clapper, "Devices, designed and fielded with minimal security requirements and testing, and an ever-increasing complexity of networks, could lead to widespread vulnerabilities in civilian infrastructures and U.S. Government systems." These lapses in cybersecurity are highly susceptible to exploitation by a range of threat sources, including foreign governments, such as Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran, who are motivated by cyber espionage. There is also the threat of cyberterrorism perpetrated by terrorist groups designed to promote online recruitment, propaganda, and financing activity, and incite lone wolf attacks. Hackers have repeatedly targeted the U.S. commercial sector for illegal monetary gain and money laundering. The continuous onslaught of massive data breaches in the public and private sectors here in the United States and worldwide evidences the complexity, diversity, and far-reaching implications of these cyber attacks. Our national security and cybersecurity framework must be equipped to prevent and mitigate against public sector attacks, such as the critical breaches of information technology systems at the Office of Personnel Management back in 2015. The national security threat posed by cyber attacks is multifaceted and demands the continual development of cybersecurity policies and countermeasures that are adaptable, modernized, and comprehensive.