Cyber Operations

The networked world is beginning to discover that sharing is not always beneficial. Marauders always have been the bane of cyberspace, but now a new set of threats has emerged to imperil more than just the usual targets. Ordinary citizens now are menaced by sophisticated organizations seeking to damage society or to loot it of its funds-or both. And, as always, the network-centric military is under assault by increasingly frequent and effective cyberagents operating under foreign government control. In Launching Stealth Warfare, Maryann Lawlor returns to report on the possibility of the next major war being launched by a digital attack. Her interview with the director of cyberspace operations for the Air Force describes how the effects-or lack thereof-of that initial attack in cyberspace may define success or failure in the war that ensues. Computer network defense is an important element of cyberspace operations, and Henry Kenyon explores efforts to thwart attacks. Changing Strategy for Computer Network Defense looks at how a U.S. national laboratory is trying to apply scientific method to what amounts to an art-the art of defending cyberspace in the information age. Crime prevention often is not artistic, and Rita Boland delves into the gritty aspects of cybercrime. Government Works to Stop Actual Bad Guys in the Virtual Realm draws back the curtain on how the U.S. Justice Department is trying to catch up with existing cybercriminals while staying ahead of their future activities. On another topic that literally spans the Atlantic Ocean, NATO is striving to modernize its force in a way that ensures interoperability. One group that is ramping up its efforts to assist the alliance is NATO's Industrial Advisory Group, or NIAG. This four-decade-old organization is looking to redefine the relationship between NATO and industry in a way that benefits both parties, as its chairman explains in Industry Looks to Aid NATO.