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posted by takyon on Wednesday June 28 2017, @05:41PM   Printer-friendly
from the two-rockets-of-hate dept.

Although "offensive cyber" seems to have a different definition to my re-collection, Britain's Defence Secretary, Sir Michael Fallon, gave a speech at Cyber 2017 outlining how the Ministry of Defence is tackling today's cyber threats:

A stronger password here, a Windows update there, and we would have stood an even better chance of warding off the Parliamentary and Wannacry attacks. So my second point is that the MOD has a key role to play in contributing to a culture of resilience. That's why we set up the Defence Cyber Partnership Programme (DCPP) to ensure that companies with whom we have defence contracts are properly protecting themselves and meeting a host of cyber security standards.

Strengthening our deterrence

But there's a third way in which we can protect our national infrastructure, and that's by strengthening our deterrence. So we're using our rising budget to invest our £178bn in full spectrum capability, from carriers to Ajax armoured vehicles, fifth generation F35 to the latest UAVs, signalling to potential cyber strikers that the price of an online attack could invite a response from any domain, air, land, sea or cyber space. And when it comes to the latter, we're making sure that offensive cyber is now an integral part of our arsenal. We now have the skills to expose cyber criminals, to them hunt down and to prosecute them, to respond in kind to any assault at a time of our choosing.

Our National Offensive Cyber Planning allows us to integrate cyber into all our military operations. And I can confirm that we are now using offensive cyber routinely in the war against Daesh, not only in Iraq but also in the campaign to liberate Raqqa and other towns on the Euphrates. Offensive cyber there is already beginning to have a major effect on degrading Daesh's capabilities.

Unfortunately, the Vault7 leaks show that at least one nation-state believes it is able to imitate attacks from other nation-states:

What was once conspiracy is now fact, as it appears the CIA has essentially developed their own NSA without the oversight. Under the Center for Cyber Intelligence (CCI), over 5,000 hackers have produced more than a thousand hacking systems, trojans, viruses, and other "weaponized" malware targeting everything from anti-virus software to commonly used consumer devices. This includes malware which makes it look like it was planted by a foreign government or hacker. This includes Russia, essentially proving the CIA has the ability to plant evidence to make it look like Russian hackers were the culprits. This potentially disrupts and discredits the entire Russia hacking narrative being pushed by the media.

So, under Britain's official foreign policy, when a country has sustained attacks or just a flaky infrastructure, that's sufficient justification to bomb a random country rather than attack the wrong computers. After Iraq was bombed for having Weapons of Mass Distraction and bombed again due to Saudi Arabian terrorists, will North Korea get bombed due to NHS failure?


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  • (Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Wednesday June 28 2017, @06:00PM (2 children)

    by DeathMonkey (1380) on Wednesday June 28 2017, @06:00PM (#532543) Journal

    Although "offensive cyber" seems to have a different definition to my re-collection...

    Whatever are you going on about, AC?

    Also....A/S/L?

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 28 2017, @06:12PM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 28 2017, @06:12PM (#532550)

    The Fifth of November is only 130 days away.

  • (Score: 2) by turgid on Wednesday June 28 2017, @06:20PM

    by turgid (4318) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday June 28 2017, @06:20PM (#532555) Journal

    Everything makes perfect sense.

  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by takyon on Wednesday June 28 2017, @06:25PM

    by takyon (881) <reversethis-{gro ... s} {ta} {noykat}> on Wednesday June 28 2017, @06:25PM (#532560) Journal

    will North Korea get bombed due to NHS failure?

    North Korea has a nuclear deterrent. There's a reason that U.S. Presidents have always left the military option on the table when it comes to Iran. It's because you lose the chance to attack without consequences once a nation develops nukes. To a certain extent anyway. Multiple nukes and a delivery system are still needed, but chucking it over the border shouldn't be too hard.

    --
    [SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
  • (Score: 2) by Snotnose on Wednesday June 28 2017, @06:26PM (4 children)

    by Snotnose (1623) on Wednesday June 28 2017, @06:26PM (#532561)

    Before they send an F-35 to blow it up.

    --
    It's just a fact of life that people with brains the size of grapes have mouths the size of watermelons. -- Aunty Acid
    • (Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Wednesday June 28 2017, @06:39PM (1 child)

      by fustakrakich (6150) on Wednesday June 28 2017, @06:39PM (#532569) Journal

      Best to send it as a UAV [defensenews.com]

      --
      La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 29 2017, @04:58AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 29 2017, @04:58AM (#532821)

        Not only the oxygen bit, but their full complement of arms at the moment - two machine guns with just shy of two thousand rounds - I forget the calibre, but it is about on a par with a WW1 Sopwith Camel (yes, seriously)

        Maybe it could go in strafing! Take that, Red Cyber-Baron!

    • (Score: 2) by bob_super on Wednesday June 28 2017, @06:56PM (1 child)

      by bob_super (1357) on Wednesday June 28 2017, @06:56PM (#532576)

      No need to confuse them. Let them go ahead with an airstrike on the source of the next Cyber Attack, identified as an extremely powerful Quad-Core processor housed in a Samsung (the Bad Koreans? can't remember) hidden at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

      • (Score: 2) by Absolutely.Geek on Wednesday June 28 2017, @07:40PM

        by Absolutely.Geek (5328) on Wednesday June 28 2017, @07:40PM (#532592)

        There is a printer in 10 Downing St that seems to be the source for a lot of "cyber" best just blow up the building to be sure.

        --
        Don't trust the police or the government - Shihad: My mind's sedate.
  • (Score: 4, Interesting) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Wednesday June 28 2017, @06:29PM (3 children)

    by MichaelDavidCrawford (2339) Subscriber Badge <mdcrawford@gmail.com> on Wednesday June 28 2017, @06:29PM (#532564) Homepage Journal

    After the first Persian Gulf war, arms inspectors found underground calutrons that were powered by buried cables from power stations hundreds of miles away.

    HiRez [fas.org] - scroll down about halfway.

    The calutron is a large mass spectrometer. They're not very efficient but they are easier to build than uranium hexafluoride centrifuges.

    Also found were copies of declassified Manhattan Project patents. "declassified" because, in its infinite wisdom, in 1965 the government declassified all but one of the projects secrets. The one remaining secret was the design of the initiator, that supplies neutrons to start the chain reaction in Plutonium bombs. All of the uranium assembly bomb secrets were declassified.

    You can even purchase the Los Alamos Primer from Amazon.

    --
    Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 28 2017, @08:24PM (1 child)

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 28 2017, @08:24PM (#532614)

      Also found were copies of declassified Manhattan Project patents. "declassified" because, in its infinite wisdom,

      Errr, no, declassified because these things are "common sense" to every undergraduate physics student. And there is a much easier way to separate uranium than using a centrifuge (yes, gas centrifuge because UF6 is gas). But it's not used because

      1. proliferation -- you don't want to give people ideas
      2. gas centrifuges are already in place (for power plants, obviously), so why invest in new assets you don't need?

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 28 2017, @08:46PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 28 2017, @08:46PM (#532631)

        SILEX?

    • (Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 29 2017, @01:22AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 29 2017, @01:22AM (#532728)
      It's pretty much certain that around the time of the Iran-Iraq War Saddam Hussein had ambitions of joining the nuclear club. However, did they have a credible nuclear program in 2003 when they were invaded? From the looks of things, no. The sanctions imposed on Iraq after 1991 appear to have successfully prevented that from happening from the looks of things, and that was what UN inspections have been telling us all along. But well, the US invaded them anyway, destabilising the entire region and paving the way for ISIS. Bastard Saddam might have been, he was serving his purpose, and was removed much too soon than was geopolitically wise.
  • (Score: 2) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Wednesday June 28 2017, @06:31PM (1 child)

    by MichaelDavidCrawford (2339) Subscriber Badge <mdcrawford@gmail.com> on Wednesday June 28 2017, @06:31PM (#532566) Homepage Journal

    ... if the intelligence agencies would tell the software vendors about the exploits they find.

    But no they want to attack the enemy rather than preventing the enemy from attacking us.

    --
    Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
    • (Score: 4, Funny) by Gaaark on Wednesday June 28 2017, @08:51PM

      by Gaaark (41) on Wednesday June 28 2017, @08:51PM (#532633) Journal

      For want of a proper operating system, we bombed EVERYONE! Even our allies, because.... well because they hate us for spying on them, so yeah- bomb EVERYONE!

      --
      --- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
  • (Score: 0, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 28 2017, @07:31PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 28 2017, @07:31PM (#532588)

    Please migrate immediately to government approved online forums where your thoughts can be monitored by professional corporate moderators. Noncompliance may be taken as deviant intent and used against you in future.

  • (Score: 2) by snufu on Wednesday June 28 2017, @07:34PM

    by snufu (5855) on Wednesday June 28 2017, @07:34PM (#532590)

    We located the source of the hack at 11 Downing street. Don't worry, bombers are on the way to take out the whole block just to be sure.

  • (Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Wednesday June 28 2017, @07:42PM

    by fustakrakich (6150) on Wednesday June 28 2017, @07:42PM (#532594) Journal

    I'm pleased to tell you today that I've signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes.

    --
    La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 28 2017, @07:46PM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 28 2017, @07:46PM (#532599)

    Two stories in a day, like a shot in the arm.

    • (Score: 2) by realDonaldTrump on Wednesday June 28 2017, @08:32PM

      by realDonaldTrump (6614) on Wednesday June 28 2017, @08:32PM (#532619) Homepage Journal

      Why don't they send the HMS Queen Elizabeth to protect Parliament? Its computers are running Windows XP, to protect it from foreign cyber. Very smart! And how do I shut down the Clinton Intelligence Agency? CIA agents are completely out of touch with everyday people worried about rising crime, failing schools and vanishing jobs -- not Russian cyber. I don't trust them.

  • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Wednesday June 28 2017, @08:00PM

    by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday June 28 2017, @08:00PM (#532601) Journal

    Oh, wow!

    So, it's enough a single hacker to take a holiday trip in a distant country and start a cyberattack just for the lulz to cause the Brits to move a significant army at a significant cost?
    How many such attacks until GB can no longer afford to support, say, their health system?

    Those military surely don't get the economics of security.

    --
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
  • (Score: 3, Funny) by cmdrklarg on Wednesday June 28 2017, @08:08PM (1 child)

    by cmdrklarg (5048) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday June 28 2017, @08:08PM (#532602)

    This includes malware which makes it look like it was planted by a foreign government or hacker. This includes Russia, essentially proving the CIA has the ability to plant evidence to make it look like Russian hackers were the culprits.

    Fucking Darlocks.

    --
    The world is full of kings and queens who blind your eyes and steal your dreams.
    • (Score: 3, Interesting) by tangomargarine on Wednesday June 28 2017, @09:11PM

      by tangomargarine (667) on Wednesday June 28 2017, @09:11PM (#532647)

      For when SWATing just isn't enough: get them smartbombed by spoofing some proxies.

      --
      "Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
  • (Score: 2) by turgid on Wednesday June 28 2017, @08:10PM (4 children)

    by turgid (4318) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday June 28 2017, @08:10PM (#532603) Journal

    It's almost as if our Great British Politicians go out of their way to be ignorant. By the way, I didn't get any mod points today. I usually get 5.

    • (Score: 2, Funny) by DeathMonkey on Wednesday June 28 2017, @08:53PM (2 children)

      by DeathMonkey (1380) on Wednesday June 28 2017, @08:53PM (#532635) Journal

      Whew...I took an Ambien last night and was starting to worry I sleep-modded!

      No points here either.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 28 2017, @09:00PM (1 child)

        by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 28 2017, @09:00PM (#532639)

        Cron job failed to run? I don't mod much but I just logged in to see. Have 4 points, but I don't remember if I spent 1 before 0:00 UTC last evening or after.

    • (Score: 3, Funny) by realDonaldTrump on Wednesday June 28 2017, @09:41PM

      by realDonaldTrump (6614) on Wednesday June 28 2017, @09:41PM (#532656) Homepage Journal

      I never had Moderator Points but now I do. Much appreciated. #WINNING

  • (Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Thursday June 29 2017, @02:25AM (1 child)

    by Phoenix666 (552) on Thursday June 29 2017, @02:25AM (#532774) Journal

    This is almost as bad as the time the Canadians bombed the Baldwins [wikia.com].

    --
    Washington DC delenda est.
  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 29 2017, @05:25PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 29 2017, @05:25PM (#533003)

    any government agency running windows with tax dollars needs to be shot/whoops i meant hacked.. whatever. they deserve whatever they get.

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