In Digital Combat, U.S. Finds No Easy Deterrent

When considering the prospect of a cyberterrorism, defense officials are forced to acknowledge that the enemy holds the cards of “stealth, anonymity and unpredictability.” Even if the general location of an attack’s origin can be determined, it is practically impossible to discover whether it was commercially, politically, or individually motivated. As such, it is difficult to say when a military response is warranted or even legal. Moreover, the Google-China case highlights the murkiness of how cyberattack cases mix state and corporate players. Suggestions for how to address such attacks range from economic retaliation to criminal prosecution to preemptive strikes. But what constitutes an appropriate response is just as uncertain as who is the attacker. Without knowing the perpetrator or how to respond, retaliation is ineffective or pointless, making deterrence moot. An alarming situation indeed. – YaleGlobal