President Bush reportedly signed a secret directive last summer ordering the Pentagon and various intelligence agencies to draft guidelines and strategies to wage cyber-warfare against America’s enemies. Any plan that could result in less bloodshed is certainly worth pursuing, but a warning message ought to pop up on computer screens throughout the nation’s capital: Is our nation prepared to defend itself against similar cyber-attacks? The answer is a resounding “no,” judging from a series of reports on government cyber-security issued before and after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The Washington Post reported Friday that the Bush administration is preparing rules for using computers to disable enemy radar networks, power plants and other vital services during wartime. There’s already been considerable speculation that electronic attacks could be part of the strategy to topple Saddam Hussein. Richard A. Clarke, who recently retired as the White House’s top cyber-security adviser, said officials are assessing when they’d employ computers as weapons and how they’d avoid “collateral damage,” such as shutting off power to hospitals. Full Story
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