Security Measures Need to Raise the Cost of Operations for Hackers

Hackers need to pay a greater price for intrusions if network security is to be effective, said a former director of national intelligence. Adm. Dennis Blair, USN (Ret.), who also is a former commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, told the audience at the AFCEA Global Intelligence Forum in the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., that the nation needs to raise the cost to the hacker without breaking the bank for the defender.

The admiral emphasized that he is not advocating the legalization of counter-cyber attacks—as much as the concept appeals to him. Instead, he called for legalization of “a myriad of nondestructive counter cyber attacks” that would raise the minimal cost to these hackers.

Some measures might involve empowering cyber operators to take action against hackers. Adm. Blair suggested establishing the cyber equivalent of private surveillance cameras with the ability to turn evidence over to the authorities, and maybe even creating the digital equivalent of a citizen’s arrest.

Other defensive measures could thwart cyber marauders. These might take the form of documents that self destruct when unauthorized users try to open them, for example, and the digital equivalent of indelible ink that is used for marking money.

The former head of the U.S. Pacific Command cited China as an example of a cyber adversary that should be impressed with the need for supporting cybersecurity rules and laws. “We need to put more penalties into the equation instead of relying on Chinese maturing,” he offered. “How many U.S. companies must go out of business, how many billions of dollars must be lost, before the Chinese realize it’s in their best interest to cooperate in cybersecurity?”