Hacktavists loyal to the group known as, Anonymous, have announced that they are going to step up their cyber-war efforts against the U.S. government and corporations. Cavalier as they may seem, many of the group members feel that their conduct is more of a 21st Century version of civil disobedience, than breaking any federal laws. In some respects, they may have a point (although their motives and intent are still in question). By analogy, is there little difference in what occurred in the 1970’s Pentagon Papers case? Is this why the U.S. government has taken so long to investigate Wikileaks, and prosecute its accused collaborator Pfc. Manning?
Yesterday, Computerworld reported that four trade groups and one civil liberties group released a report which stated that the U.S. government should incentivize corporations to enact better cybersecurity measures. The lead author to the report seems to take the “guns don’t kill people, people kill people” position, as it relates to the Internet. Larry Clinton states that the Internet, in and of itself, is a wonderful tool, but the problem is when people attack it. The solution to the problem, establishing a set of guidelines or protocols for dealing with technology, is where government and the private sector opinions diverge. However, both sides agree that the solution is a matter of adopting an overall risk management perspective.