Federal Government Information Technology

Enter the Fifth Domain

Federal Times: As foreign nationals – from independent hackers to criminal organizations to nation-states – continue to test and breach U.S. networks, it is fast becoming clear that the cyberwar is here and is happening on a global scale.

While civilian and defense agencies within the federal government are racing to get up to speed on security and offensive strategies in cyberspace, these discussions are happening independently and often without coordination with others in government, let alone the private sector.

As was seen with the Sony hack – reportedly done by North Korea – the breach of Office of Personnel Management networks – tied to the Chinese government – and attacks on U.S. critical infrastructure – like the dam hacks attributed to Iranian actors – foreign attackers will not be solely targeting our military networks. Unlike traditional domains of warfare, in cyberspace, civilian assets are the prime targets.

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