By Kevin Coleman
Defense Tech Cyber Warfare Analyst
Cyber attacks on businesses have risen in frequency and sophistication and the monetary damages that accompany these incidents are rising as well. America’s corporations are under constant attack from cyber criminals, terrorists and rogue nation states. The devastating consequences of a cyber attack on our business community have now risen to a level where it must be considered a threat to our nation’s security.
So why has the U.S. Military and Homeland Security not moved to address this threat head on? The answer is easy – it is the private sector! There are regulations that come into play as well as the availability of resources to help; but the biggest reason is the private sector has not asked for help. Many in the private sector believe they “know more” or are “better at defending” themselves than the government entities. Those beliefs are no longer true.
For a decade now I have had one foot on each side (private vs. Gov/Military). The rapid growth of techniques, tools, capabilities, experience and cyber intelligence on the government /military side has now placed them well ahead of every private sector cyber security organization I know of. Of course, that doesn’t include private sector cyber mercenaries that routinely called upon and illustrate superior offensive and defensive cyber capabilities in support of U.S. defense forces and the intelligence community.
These capabilities must be brought to the defense of our critical infrastructure and in support of private sector research and development efforts that will produce the next generation of security products needed to address the increasing threats we are seeing in cyberspace. Working together is the answer. Working disjointedly will ultimately lead to falling short of what we need in the near future and beyond.
So – does the current level of attacks on the U.S. business community rise to the level of a national security threat?