This story was originally published at CBSNews.com.
Somewhere deep in Washington's national security apparatus, more than a few old-timers surely pine for the clarity of the Cold War. Black versus white, American versus Russian, spy versus spy--the good old days.
Now, however, they face more ephemeral threats from shadowy foes that prefer to cloak their identities.
"There's a cyberwar going on," said Ed Giorgio, who spent nearly 30 years with the National Security Agency before starting an IT security consultancy in 2007. The problem, he says, is that identifying an online adversary isn't as easy as pinpointing an enemy tank formation.
"Adversaries are just as likely to be nationalists as they are likely to be countries," said Giorgio, echoing a theme that cybersecurity experts say is likely to shape the Pentagon's approach to building Internet defenses in an increasingly networked world.
The extent of the problem was hinted at earlier in the day by Defense Secretary Robert Gates. In an upcoming 60 Minutes interview, Gates told CBS News anchor Katie Couric that the United States is "under cyberattack virtually all the time, every day" and that his department will more than quadruple the number of experts to battle cyber attacks.
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Eighteen months after a denial-of-service attack, the Estonian Ministry of Defense has posted a detailed report (PDF) on the attacks. While focusing on specific steps the nation needs to take to prevent another attack, the report contains global recommendations as well.
In May 2007, the Baltic nation experienced a series of denial-of-service (DoS) attacks as a result of its government's decision to relocate a statue honoring an unknown Russian person killed during World War II. At Black Hat in 2007, security expert Gadi Evron said the attacks were not directed by the Russian Federation, or any government entity; he suggested it was the work of a "flash mob" of individuals from all over the world. In January, a native Russian in Estonia was convicted for his involvement in the event.
The report calls for Estonia to apply a graduated system of security measures, develop high awareness of information security to the highest standard, develop appropriate regulatory and legal framework of information systems, and promote international cooperation toward achieving global cybersecurity.
On the latter topic, Estonia will seek global condemnation of cyberattacks given the impact on individuals' livelihoods. In Estonia, a nation that is well-wired per capita, the DoS attacks shut down local ISPs and prevented people from buying food, getting gas, or completing bank transactions for several days.
The report concludes that Estonia should seek the cooperation of all nations in strengthening local cybersecurity law enforcement by presenting its expertise and experience at global security conferences.
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