I've Dealt With Foreign Cyberattacks. America Isn't Ready for What's Coming.

[Zorro]

As Russian missiles rain on Ukraine, there’s another battle brewing — in the cybersphere. Destructive malware has flooded hundreds of Ukrainian websites and computers since Vladimir Putin announced his invasion. It would be a mistake to assume such attacks will remain limited to Ukrainian targets.

Last week President Biden warned Mr. Putin against Russian cyberattacks on the United States’ critical infrastructure. But American businesses aren’t ready for a war in cyberspace. Although Mr. Biden designated the Department of Homeland Security to lead what he vowed would be a forceful response to any such aggression, this isn’t enough. The D.H.S. doesn’t have the legal authority to order the private sector to follow its lead. More broadly, the federal government, even if warned by companies like Microsoft of incoming cyberattacks, doesn’t have the necessary infrastructure in place to protect American businesses from many of these attacks.

That the United States has to resort to threats of retaliation is itself a problem. America should already be cyberattack-proof, but coordinating these efforts across the country has been an uphill battle.

As the former general counsel of the National Security Agency, I witnessed daily the scope and sophistication of such maliciousness from Russia, China, Iran and North Korea. All of them leverage the various sectors of power at their disposal — including commercial and state-owned enterprises as well as spy agencies — to come out against U.S. businesses and citizens in full force.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/04/opinion/ive-dealt-with-foreign-cyberattacks-america-isnt-ready-for-whats-coming.html?unlocked_article_code=AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACEIPuomT1JKd6J17Vw1cRCfTTMQmqxCdw_PIxftm3iWka3DODm4eiOMNAo6B_EGKZLRuItc-1jCHAcBALL9qSvtow-5QOQlmWgOluJKYhJ0OID5woIe-RGI91tfMRrYktCXnZ2Wobel43vigvxuaK327BviEjiM9fUs6_IB3CjHMtxBovqTVTa4z0c9jjbxnXsokESECbSXevvS4WwF7OYiCch3Z41QpU7sPXSXVyNeW7-5WcgQGXV_WXTgotzZHndBXO9sVPKz6LQdxO5atxOVMVRE7aduhFJYzRIPLlr91sLKrqhaEy8q-xf5eB7wD9fqf8T78bABzPevQaFbhXTUZtyxI_1devlOkXMI6iT4yREJ1_4ACY4B5Q7qhOsCuC1ElSGE&smid=url-share

[relayerbob]

1. Not too worried, TBH

Their cyberwar attempts in Ukraine have been pitiful, and they’re cut off from large chunks of the internet now. Cyber terror? Possible. But I think we would already be seeing it in response to the sanctions.

[LearnedHand]

2. The writer is correct, downplaying it a bit even

And you are mistaken. Failed or foiled Russian cyber attacks were due to the sophistication and skill of the cyber defenders, not the Russian cyber army's lack of expertise and technology. US industry, healthcare, and utilities are woefully, laughably unprepared. Finance and high tech are in slightly better shape.