-----Original Message----- From: Steve Church [mailto:nanog@headcandy.org] Sent: Monday, October 06, 2008 8:24 AM To: nanog@nanog.org Subject: Re: cnn.com - Homeland Security seeks cyber counterattack system(Einstein 3.0)
If it's going to "literally" shot down an attack like an AA weapon, are they planning on physically launching projectiles at compromised machines across the world and destroying them?
Bill, they're probably planning on physically launching explosive projectiles at compromised users. /me dons his tinfoil hat Steve [Howard C. Berkowitz] Not being able to resist, they may be thinking of physically launching compromised users at the assumed servers. As the circus owner pleaded with the Man Shot Out of the Cannon not to leave the show, he pointed out "It's very difficult to find a man of your caliber." (While that's Pythonesque rather than canonical Python, is there an equivalent to Godwin's Law for pythonisms? Alas, would it be applicable if the pythonism were issued by a government official?) Seriously, see U.S. Joint Publication 3-13, "Information Operations", p. 33 of the PDF at http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/jel/new_pubs/jp3_13.pdf That is intended, of course, for an actual war situation. The more open literature on electronic warfare is also relevant to understand the less silly military views -- and I emphasize a warfare situation, not a persistent spammer, may the fleas of ten thousand camels infest his armpits.