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'Pentagon to view cyber attacks as acts of war'
AFP
Published: 31.05.11, 19:34
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11 Talkbacks for this article
1. They just invited more attacks
sheik rattle & roll ,   USA   (05.31.11)
I believe they just invited more attacks by individual hackers. I also believe they are making a statement that they know who was behind this and it is probably the Iranians or Chinese.
2. What if the chinese and the russians
John ,   Accra,Ghana   (05.31.11)
attack US with cyber attack.Is US going to release missiles on them?.russians and chinese are though guys.US owes china also.
3. Incredible Pentagon stupidity - easy to blame wrong country
Dr. L. Brnd ,   San Diego, USA   (05.31.11)
There is no conceivable international law that would allow a lethal military attack on a country for a non-violent cyber attack. Will the Pentagon also launch armed military action to retaliate for foreign suppliers selling them defective jet parts, or selling contaminated gasoline, or embezzling money from the DoD??? Or espionage?? More to the point, it is very easy to conceal the true perpetrator of a cyber attack and to make it appear that it originated in another country. High likliehood of attacking the wrong nation in retaliation - then what? This kind of moronic Pentagon posturing only invites more cyper attacks - with emphasis on making it look like somebody else did it. The answer is to put more people who know computer science in command positions, not just Spec 4 jobs. The average US general has his secretary do his computer stuff for him because he is computer illeterate. That's the Pentagon's real problem: too many 3-star cigar-smoking dinosaurs reminiscing about jet combat and "Nam", who think an iPad is a kids toy.
4. Finally! At last, consequences.
Stephen in New York   (05.31.11)
This is an important action and I am surprised and delighted that the US threatens consequences for cyber attacks against US networks.
5. #2 Yes
Aharon   (05.31.11)
The US should attack China and/or Russia if they attack the US in a cyber way. Otherwise, it would be allowing another country to openly attack it without retribution, which is what the left seems to be all about. With Obama as president, no, he would rather let the Chinese/Russians march on Washington than send a missile to either one. China won't attack the US because it's dependent on the US for its economy, plus the Chinese army can't match the strength of the US army, even though it is much larger. Russia is an unfriendly ally and can't be trusted. The nuclear disarmament agreement was a big mistake.
6. yay! another reason to kill, that's all we need.
Nick Sporek ,   Jerusalem, Israel   (05.31.11)
7. Double standard
R ,   Israel   (06.01.11)
Yes Israel is always cautioned to use restraint, even when its citizens are being attacked in their homes by rockets, and when hoards of enemies are violating its borders.
8. Nothing like another fake pretext for war.
Chris B ,   Australia   (06.01.11)
Now we'll start seeing false flag cyber attacks on America.
9. but the torah says...
tom ,   toronto, canada   (06.01.11)
the torah says "an eye for an eye and a tooth for tooth". this basic principle, far from being barbaric, puts a great ethical restraint on retribution, which should be considered in this case by the pentagon. a cyber attack on a bank or an airline reservation system (or a video game network), is not a casus belli, and doesn't justify the mass bombing of another country, especially if the "proof" of the attack's origin is less than ironclad. a permissible retaliation may be to destroy a main transformer or a telephone exchange. or maybe only to disrupt their networks for an hour or three. but the basic principle remains: the compensation for an injury must be based on the seriousness of the injury, and NOT on the status or self-importance of the injured party.
10. What if Israeli was the one who did the attacks?
kuhl_blitz ,   Doha/ Chennai   (06.01.11)
Come on... Stuxnext was unofficially developed by you-know-who. And also, everyone 'claim' intel chips, USB, phone, computers, ships, train, moon, tv, radio were all created by Israel... then why not this?
11. Cyber War
MK Ultra ,   Camaguey, Cuba   (06.01.11)
The US is in a permanent state of war. The War of Terrorism, the War of Drugs, the War on Common Sense, the War on The Working Class, the War on Decency, the War on Education, war, war, war. And behind it all, a select few are making billions off the misery of the many.
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