US Cyber Command Leader Outlines How The U.S. Will Be Defend Itself From Cyber Attacks

Nakasone testifying in Washington, D.C., February 2019. U.S. Cyber Command

Paul M. Nakasone and Michael Sulmeyer, Foreign Affairs: How to Compete in Cyberspace

Cyber Command’s New Approach

In early October 2019, personnel from U.S. Cyber Command landed in Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro, at the invitation of the country’s government. Montenegro has faced increased harassment from Russia since joining NATO in 2017, and the Cyber Command team was there to investigate signs that hackers had penetrated the Montenegrin government’s networks. Working side by side with Montenegrin partners, the team saw an opportunity to improve American cyber defenses ahead of the 2020 election.

After a “hunt forward” mission has been completed, Cyber Command works with other parts of the U.S. government to disclose its findings. The findings enable the U.S. government to defend critical networks more effectively and allow large antivirus companies to update their products to better protect their users. The net effect of the many hunt forward missions that Cyber Command has conducted in recent years has been the mass inoculation of millions of systems, which has reduced the future effectiveness of the exposed malware and our adversaries.

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Update: US Cyber Command leader vows to 'defend forward' in protecting nation from cyberattacks (The Hill)

WNU Editor: I always say good luck on trying to stay ahead of the hackers of the world.

U.S. Congress Wants To Know More On White House Policies When It Comes To Using Cyber Weapons

Wall Street Journal: White House Expands Use of Cyber Weapons but Stays Secretive on Policies

Congress remains largely in the dark despite bipartisan criticism of President Trump’s stance

WASHINGTON—In his three years in office, President Trump has overseen an escalation in the U.S. military’s deployment of cyber weapons as a way to engage forcefully with adversaries around the globe without provoking all-out war.

But the White House hasn’t made the same effort to inform Congress and the public about its rules for using these new cyber capabilities, lawmakers and experts say, prompting a bipartisan push to demand more transparency from the administration.

President Trump issued a classified directive nearly a year-and-a-half ago that outlines new, less restrictive rules for the military’s use of cyber weapons. Approved efforts can range from a temporary network disruption to long-term degradation or sabotage of an adversary’s computer systems, officials have said.

That more-aggressive posture has largely paid off, current and former officials say, as it has allowed the administration to rely on cyber operations to confront a broader array of threats and to react more nimbly to changing circumstances, including during a peak in hostilities with Iran this summer and Russian election interference attempts during last year’s midterm elections.

But the White House hasn’t let members of Congress see the directive, known as National Security Presidential Memorandum 13, the lawmakers said, leaving them with little understanding of a key element of American warfighting capability.

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WNU Editor: Congress understandably wants to know more. U.S. Cyber Command is already making it public that they are going to be playing an aggressive role in defending U.S. elections (see below).

More News On U.S. Cyber Command Protecting U.S. Elections

U.S. Cybercom contemplates information warfare to counter Russian interference in 2020 election -- Washington Post
Washington Post: US eyeing information warfare tactics against Russia in 2020 -- CNN
CyberCom mulls aggressive tactics if Russia interferes in next election: report -- The Hill
US military cyber officials 'are developing plans to target the personal data of Russian politicians and oligarchs should the country interfere in 2020 election' -- Daily Mail

A Look Inside The New NSA And U.S. Cyber Command Cyberwarfare Bunker

The outside of NSA's Integrated Cyber Center, a $500 million facility that will help NSA and U.S. Cyber Command work together.

Cyberscoop: Inside the new, state-of-the-art U.S. cyberwarfare bunker

The command post for any future U.S.-backed cyberwar is now officially open.

Last week, NSA and U.S. Cyber Command leaders posed together and smiled for pictures during a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of a new, state-of-the-art spy bunker named the “Integrated Cyber Center,” or ICC.

Bland in name alone, the groundbreaking facility located inside Fort Meade in Maryland represents the latest step taken by the federal government to equip U.S. spies and a growing force of “cyberwarriors” with the physical infrastructure necessary to combat foreign threats online.

Hackers linked to Russia, China, North Korea and Iran have each respectively penetrated important U.S. political groups, government agencies, entertainment studios and U.S. energy companies in recent years. These types of breaches have led lawmakers to openly question whether the federal government is doing enough to deter hackers.

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WNU Editor: Another sign that the U.S. is gearing up for cyber warfare.

U.S. Cyber Command Has Been Elevated To An Independent 'Unified Command'

Business Insider: Pentagon's Cyber Command gets upgraded status, new leader

FORT MEADE, Md. (Reuters) - The Pentagon's cyber warfare unit received an elevated status and a new commander on Friday, signaling the growing importance of digital combat as the United States grapples with sophisticated hacking by Russia, China and other actors.

Army Gen. Paul Nakasone took over leadership of U.S. Cyber Command at a ceremony at this base 30 miles north of Washington that featured both traditional military pomp and signs of the new age of warfare.

Cyber Command was elevated on Friday to an independent "unified command," a bureaucratic change that for the first time puts it on a par with nine other U.S. warfighting commands.

The change is "an acknowledgement that this new warfighting domain has come of age," Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said.

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Update: ‘Cyber domain will define next century of warfare’: Pentagon raises status of US Cyber Command (RT)

WNU Editor: This elevation of cyber command to a "Combatant Command" is long overdue.

A Look Behind The Scenes Of The U.S. Military’s Cyber Defense

PBS News Hour: An exclusive look behind the scenes of the U.S. military’s cyber defense

At U.S. Cyber Command, cyber protection teams defend the Pentagon's networks from adversaries like Russia, China, North Korea and Iran, and fight thousands of non-state actors like terrorist groups and professional hackers. Special correspondent Mike Cerre got exclusive access to a new generation of cyber warriors.

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WNU Editor: You know this command is now very important when you have admirals and top generals running the show.

President Trump Elevates US Cyber Command To A Unified Combatant Command

Washington Post: President Trump announces move to elevate Cyber Command

President Trump has directed that Cyber Command, the Pentagon’s offensive cyber force, will become its own unified military command in a move that is meant to strengthen cyberspace operations and bolster U.S. defenses.

“The elevation of United States Cyber Command demonstrates our increased resolve against cyberspace threats and will help reassure our allies and partners and deter our adversaries,” Trump said in a statement Friday.

CyberCom was formed in 2010 from two smaller organizations subordinate to Strategic Command, the same military body responsible for U.S. missile defenses. Since its beginning, it has been led by the director of the NSA, which is currently Navy Adm. Michael S. Rogers.

Trump’s move means that Cyber Command will become the 10th unified command in the U.S. military, putting it on par with the main combatant commands, such as Central Command.

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WNU Editor: Welcome to the 21rst century.

More News On President Trump Elevating US Cyber Command To A Unified Combatant Command

Statement by President Donald J. Trump on the Elevation of Cyber Command -- Whitehouse
President Elevates U.S. Cyber Command to Unified Combatant Command -- US Department of Defense
Trump approves plan to create independent cyber command -- AP
Trump lifts Cyber Command status to boost cyber defense -- Reuters
Trump boosts US Cyber Command -- The Hill
Trump Boosts Military Cyber Command, Hints At Future NSA Changes -- IBTimes
Trump Boosts U.S. Cyber Command's Status in Military Chain -- Bloomberg
Trump announces plan to elevate U.S. military command that oversees cyber operations -- L.A. Times
Trump elevates U.S. Cyber Command, vows 'increased resolve' against threats -- Politico
Trump approves Obama-era plan for a more independent US Cyber Command -- Tech Crunch
Trump elevates US Cyber Command to independent status -- RT

NSA Chief: Cyber Isn't All That Special

National Security Agency Director Adm. Michael S. Rogers speaks at the third annual Intelligence and National Security Summit in Washington in September. (Gary Cameron/Reuters)

C4ISRNet: Cyber isn’t all that special, says NSA chief

For all the concern of cyber as a new domain and a new unique tool set, the nation’s chief cyber military officer is warning against putting cyber on a pedestal.

Cyber is an operational domain in which the military does a variety of missions and functions, many of which are traditional, said Adm. Michael Rogers, commander of U.S. Cyber Command and director of the National Security Agency, at the AFCEA West conference in San Diego on Feb. 23. He noted that the military executes reconnaissance and fire and maneuver activities in cyberspace much like the branches do in the physical world.

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WNU Editor: It may not be special, but the commander of U.S. Cyber Command who is also the Director of the NSA wants changes in the rules that govern cyber-weapons .... NSA head Rogers pushes to loosen reins on cyberweapons (The Hill)

U.S. Cyber Command Chief Talks About The Threats That He Fears The Most

Wall Street Journal: U.S. Cyber Command Chief on What Threats to Fear the Most

Lt. Gen. James McLaughlin talks about attacks from ISIS, Russia and China

Over the past few years, cyberattacks on businesses have led to huge losses and diminished consumer confidence. But cyberattacks are also happening on the national scale as the internet becomes another arena for global conflict.

To get a picture of this emerging battlefield, The Wall Street Journal’s Rebecca Blumenstein spoke with Lt. Gen. James K. “Kevin” McLaughlin, deputy commander of the U.S. Cyber Command.

Here are edited excerpts of the conversation.

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WNU editor: The impression that I got from this article is that U.S. Cyber Command is still looking for a mission .... and the means to effectively respond against threats and cyber attacks.

U.S. Cyber Command Remains A Work In Progress

Military Times: Without solid training options, mysterious Cyber Command remains a work in progress

The military's demand for cyber capabilities is soaring. Defensive and offensive operations, including those targeting the Islamic State group, are occurring with greater frequency. There's talk of elevating U.S. Cyber Command's profile within the Defense Department. And yet six years after its creation, the organization does not have a training environment for large-scale exercises and to evaluate the readiness of its force.

Unlike other major military components, the mysterious CYBERCOM, which is headquartered at Fort Meade in Maryland, does not have a permanent interconnected range for units to practice new tactics, test new weaponry and fight hypothetical enemies in exercises designed to simulate real-world conflict. It's working to build one, officials say, suggesting — without offering much detail — that they're looking to engineer a network of facilities that replicates command-and-control systems and allows for large units to train with potentially catastrophic cyber weapons. Meanwhile, the definition of unit-level readiness remains a work in progress.

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WNU Editor: This debate on what U.S. Cyber Command is suppose to do has been ongoing for years .... Does The U.S. Cyber Command Have A Mission? (May 29, 2010). But the money is flowing like crazy .... 2017 DOD budget calls for 15 percent increase in military cyber security spending (Military & Aerospace).

Does The U.S. Have The Most Powerful Offensive Cyberweapons On Earth?

Reuters/Rick Wilking / Reuters

Danny Vinik, Politico: America’s secret arsenal

It’s one of the biggest secrets in the government: The U.S. has the most powerful cyberweapons on Earth. So what are they? And when will we use them?

To this day it remains one of the most sophisticated and mysterious offensive operations ever launched: Stuxnet, the computer virus specifically engineered to attack Iran's nuclear reactors. Discovered in 2010 and now widely believed to be a collaboration between the U.S. and Israel, its existence raised an urgent question: Just what is the U.S. government doing to attack its opponents in the cyber-realm?

Stuxnet's origins have never been officially acknowledged, and the extent of American meddling in malware is still unknown. But for the past few years there’s been something new developing within the U.S. military that has taken "cyber" from a theoretical idea to a deliberate—if secretive—part of U.S. policy. The first ripple came in January 2013, when the Washington Post reported that the Pentagon was significantly expanding its cybersecurity forces across all the service branches. By that October, the U.S. Army had launched two teams of technical experts dedicated purely to the cyber realm. Just a year later, the number was up to 10.

WNU Editor: The focus among the media is on cyber defense .... how to prevent cyber attacks from counties like Iran, Russia, and China .... and on cyber surveillance (courtesy of NSA leaker Edward Snowden). There is very little if any coverage on what is America capable of in a cyber conflict .... and that is because no one is talking. As to what is my take .... the U.S. has spent tens of billions on developing these capabilities .... I suspect that what they are capable of would surprise us .... and our enemies even more so.

A Look Inside The Pentagon's Cyber Boot Camp

From left: Miles Brinkley, 23, and Joshua Fisk, 26. Photographer: William Widmer for Bloomberg Businessweek

Jordan Robertson and Michael Riley, Bloomberg: Inside the Pentagon’s Boot Camp for Cyberwarriors

Drop and give me 20 lines of code.

Inside the U.S. Navy’s Corry Station base in Pensacola, Fla., there’s a school that wouldn’t look out of place on any well-manicured college campus—except for a handful of buildings wreathed in barbed wire, with the windows bricked up. That’s to keep electronic signals from getting in or out. The buildings make up the Center for Information Dominance (CID), the Pentagon’s primary boot camp for personnel training in the art of cyberwar.

U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter has said that cyber may one day become the sixth service branch, but the military doesn’t yet have the staff for it. The Pentagon said in April that U.S. Cyber Command, the organization created in 2010 to coordinate military efforts online, won’t reach its six-year goal of deploying 6,200 military and civilian personnel until 2018, two years late. The new force is to be responsible for defending the Pentagon’s computer systems as well as, at the direction of the president or defense secretary, launching cyber attacks. Admiral Michael Rogers, who heads Cyber Command and the National Security Agency, told Congress the government has been “hard-pressed” to find and train qualified service members.

WNU Editor: The problem for the Pentagon is that they can never compete against private industry for the best cyber-specialists that are out there unless they appeal to their patriotism and sense of duty.

Will The NSA And Cyber Command Be Split Apart With Two Different Leaders?

U.S. General Keith Alexander, director of the National Security Agency, testifies at a House Intelligence Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, October 29, 2013. Credit: Reuters/Jason Reed

U.S. Nears Decision To Split Leadership Of NSA, Cyber Command: Sources -- Reuters

(Reuters) - The White House is nearing a decision on splitting up the eavesdropping National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command, which conducts cyber warfare, a proposed reform prompted in part by revelations of NSA's widespread snooping, individuals briefed on the matter said on Wednesday.

As part of the emerging plan, the NSA likely would get a civilian director for the first time in its 61-year history, the individuals said.

Both agencies are now headed by the same person, Army General Keith Alexander, who is retiring in March as NSA's longest-serving director.

While Alexander is highly regarded in the intelligence community, critics have questioned the current arrangement. They say it concentrates too much power in one individual and that the two agencies have different missions.

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My Comment: This split makes sense. Both agencies have different missions .... it would then be best to have two different leaders.

National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command Chief: U.S. Under Constant Cyber Attack Threat

Top General Says U.S. Under Constant Cyber Attack Threat -- Reuters

(Reuters) - The top U.S. general in charge of cyber security warned on Tuesday that the United States is increasingly vulnerable to attacks like those that destroyed data on tens of thousands of computers in Saudi Arabia and South Korea in the past year.

Army General Keith Alexander, who heads the National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command, told the Reuters Cybersecurity Summit in Washington that U.S. computer networks were already under constant attack and billions of dollars worth of intellectual property were flowing out of the country each year.

"Mark my words, it's going to get worse. The disruptive and destructive attacks on our country will get worse and ... if we don't do something, the theft of intellectual property will get worse," Alexander said at the summit.

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My Comment: General Keith Alexander .... who heads the National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command .... has certainly been convincing enough to be be given the budget and resources to combat these threats.

U.S. Official: Cyberattacks Can Trigger Self-Defense Rule And The Use Of Military Force

The Air Force Space Command Network Operations and Security Centre in Colorado. Photograph: Rick Wilking/Reuters

U.S. Official Says Cyberattacks Can Trigger Self-Defense Rule -- Ellen Nakashima, Washington Post

Cyberattacks can amount to armed attacks triggering the right of self-defense and are subject to international laws of war, the State Department’s top lawyer said Tuesday.

Spelling out the U.S. government’s position on the rules governing cyberwarfare, Harold Koh, the department’s legal adviser, said a cyber-operation that results in death, injury or significant destruction would probably be seen as a use of force in violation of international law.

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My Comment: It is interesting that this aggressive cyber-military policy is being advocated by the US at the same time that cyber attacks against Iran's nuclear program are escalating, as well reports that Iran is already retaliating against specific U.S. targets.

Cyber Command News Updates -- September 24, 2010

Cyber Command Chief Proposes Secure Network For Government, Key Industries -- Washington Post

The commander of the new Pentagon unit charged with protecting the military's computer networks wants to create a "secure" network for government computer systems and those of critical industries, such as power and water.

That strategy of walling off critical computer networks from the rest of the Internet "is probably where you're going to get to, and it makes a lot of sense," said Army Gen. Keith B. Alexander, who heads the recently launched U.S. Cyber Command. Alexander also directs the National Security Agency, which conducts electronic surveillance on foreign targets.

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More News On Cyber Command

Alexander Details U.S. Cyber Command Gains -- U.S. Department of Defense
Cyberwar Chief Calls for Secure Computer Network -- New York Times
Cyber Command Director: U.S. Needs To Secure Critical Infrastructure -- Mil-Tech
US reviewing ways to fight cyber attacks: general -- AFP
Cyber Command chief suggests Pentagon networks are vulnerable -- Christian Science Monitor
Cyber Command Chief Warns of National Vulnerabilities -- Signal Online
Gaps in authority hamper military against cyber-attacks -- Washington Times
Cybercom Chief: Cyber Criminals Steal $300 Millions’ Worth of Intellectual Property Every Year -- The New New Internet
Pentagon Faces Massive Cyber Threats -- Voice of America
Agencies aim to bolster cybersecurity -- Washington Post
U.S. military eyes cyber defenses for banks, grid -- Reuters
Military’s Cyber Commander Swears: “No Role” in Civilian Networks -- The Danger Room
NSA chief envisions 'secure zone' on Internet to guard against attacks -- The Hill
Warriors in the battle for cyberspace -- Washington Post
White House reviews nation's cybersecurity -- Washington Post

Welcome To U.S. Cyber Command

Introducing U.S. Cyber Command -- William J. Lynn III, Wall Street Journal Opinion

More than 100 foreign intelligence agencies and militaries threaten U.S. defense networks.

The eye blinks in just over 300 milliseconds. In that time a computer message can travel twice around the world, transmitting a virus or malicious computer code across the Internet to disrupt or destroy crucial military networks.

Military computers, just like your home computer, are subject to viruses and malware that can adversely affect their operation. Military networks are also vulnerable to intrusion and theft, but not only by identify thieves and credit card scammers.

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My Comment: When it comes to government programs .... I am very skeptical. When it comes to new U.S. military programs .... I am super skeptical. The ability of this new agency will only be known when a full scale cyber attack against our communications and defense networks occurs .... until then .... I guess we will have to assume that what we have (and what we will have in the future) will be more than enough to do the job.

Does The U.S. Cyber Command Have A Mission?

Meet Your New Commander-in-Geek -- Reason

U.S. Cyber Command has no idea why it exists.

This headline is not from The Onion:

US appoints first cyber warfare general: Pentagon creates specialist online unit to counter cyber attack amid growing fears of militarisation of the internet.

On Friday, newly-created U.S. Cyber Command—that's USCYBERCOM to those in the know—got itself a general. One small problem: It's not clear that anyone, even four-star general and National Security Agency head Keith Alexander, knows what U.S. Cyber Command is supposed to do now that it exists. The commerical Internet has been around since about 1995, but in recent years folks at the Pentagon and White House seem to have been struck with a similar thought: "Hey, we should do something about those Internets, huh?" The longing for a cyber command of some kind dates back at least to President George W. Bush, and the project continued merrily along under President Barack Obama with the inexorable force of a government program that nobody really wants, but no one wants to be the one to kill.

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My Comment: You would think that this would have all been sorted out before the first dollar was committed to it .... but apparently not.