As the Bush administration debates how to respond to the threat of cyberterrorism — and with Vice President Dick Cheney’s recent remarks that the behavior of Iraq has provided an “imperative for pre-emptive attack” — clarifying the ambiguities of cyberwar has become a top administration priority. The largely invisible network upon which our advanced society is completely dependent — from banking to transportation to power generation to emergency services — relies on computer and telecommunication systems that are lucrative targets for terrorists “casing” the country. While some of these targets are vulnerable to traditional attacks that rely on explosives, a stealthier and potentially more destructive route exists: the Internet.
With the July 16 release of a White House report, “National Strategy for Homeland Security,” we should start by clarifying the legal ambiguities surrounding an attack in or through cyberspace, both for our own sake and for that of the international community.
