Network security has always been serious business, but, according a recent Defense Department report to Congress, now the Pentagon’s moving away from a defensive strategy.
As The Washington Post reported, federal officials say hostile acts may prompt a military response in cyberspace as well as in other domains. In the event of an attack on the U.S. economy, government or military, the power to unleash “offensive cyber operations” rests with the president.
And such attacks are beginning to hit closer to home. Hackers allegedly destroyed a pump used to pipe clean water into thousands of Illinois homes by accessing a utility’s network and quickly turning it on and off, according to a BBC report.
As cyber criminals continue to target critical infrastructure, law enforcement agencies are stressing the need to be ready, not just wary.