National Security Law in the News
Much in America changed on September 11, 2001.
One of those changes was the language of discourse in our public dialog about war and terrorism. But few realize that a robust and detailed body of law and policy lies behind that dialog. This new guide will demystify that law and policy by providing the necessary legal background and context for journalists and others who want to understand ongoing policy debates.
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Cybersecurity, An Introduction
By Paul Rosenzweig
This is our next great policy challenge.
Editor’s note: This essay is the first in a series of three articles by the author about cybersecurity and cyber warfare.
Hardly a day goes by without news of some new cyber attack or intrusion that causes widespread distress. On the day I started writing this article, for example, the hacker group Anonymous announced what it called “Military Meltdown Monday,” a large-scale hack of the IT system of Booz Allen, a major federal military contractor. The next day, there was a malware attack targeted at Frenchmen celebrating Bastille Day…
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From Worms to Cyber War
By Paul Rosenzweig
In just a generation, viruses went from being a novelty to a worldwide threat.
Editor’s note: This article is the second in a series of three articles about cybersecurity and cyberwarfare that will be published periodically in Defining Ideas. The first article, Cybersecurity: An Introduction, can be found at the following link.
The first known virus ever to infect a personal computer was named “Brain.A.” It was developed (dare we say invented?) by two Pakistani brothers Basit and Amjad Alvi. We know this because, amusingly, they signed their work and included contact information in the code of the virus. Brain. A was first detected in January 1986, just over 25 years ago. In its initial form, the virus did no significant harm. It renamed a volume label (in effect a file name) to “Brain” and could freeze a computer…
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Beware of Cyber China
By Paul Rosenzweig
How should we define an “act of war” in the virtual world of the internet?
Editor’s note: This is the third in a series of articles about cybersecurity and cyber warfare that will be published periodically in Defining Ideas. Earlier articles in the series are available here.
Cyberspace is awash in vulnerabilities. Actors in the cyber domain are wise to protect against crime, espionage, and hacktivist intrusions. But while those vulnerabilities are all too real, they are not driving the policy debate today in Washington. Instead, what seems to have seized the imagination of so many is the prospect of a true cyberwar.
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National Security Experts Discuss Need for Cybersecurity Cooperation
Around the Bar
The nation’s defense secrets are stolen by hackers working out of an Internet café in Seoul, South Korea and auctioned to the highest bidder. Millions lose power for more than a week during a heat wave due to an invasive computer program that targets electric utilities. The names, birthdates and Social Security numbers of company employees are stolen by organized crime.
National security experts gathered Aug. 3 at the American Bar Association Annual Meeting in Chicago to discuss the growing risk posed by hackers and foreign powers that could infiltrate and disrupt the technology that keeps the United States running.
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