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The U.S. government just very recently broadened its definition of what constitutes an "act of war" to include cyber sabotage. As one unnamed US military official told the Wall Street Journal of the possible consequences facing cybercriminals in other nations: "If you shut down our power grid, maybe we will put a missile down one of your smokestacks."
Threats such as these might win praise from some computer security experts who perceive the potential damage of online terrorism as equivalent to the 20th century's Atomic bomb. But this latest U.S. defensive escalation could set a dangerous precedent in an era where cybercrime, cyber law and online warfare are ill-defined, and where international cooperation on cybercrime eradication is woefully inadequate at best.
One can only hope that cool heads prevail and better preventative online security measures are developed. The best measures start with the weak human links within organizations; online security begins by training gullible employees how to be less likely to fall for clever cyber schemes such as spear-phishing.
The most basic and essential step any organization can take to increase cyber security is implement a program of Internet Security Awareness Training. For more information on this type of training visit www.knowbe4.com and try our free online phishing security test to see how phish-prone your employees areits a great way to assess the security savvy of your employees.
Stu Sjouwerman
KnowBe4
Jamie Sene
[/caption]The U.S. government just very recently broadened its definition of what constitutes an "act of war" to include cyber sabotage. As one unnamed US military official told the Wall Street Journal of the possible consequences facing cybercriminals in other nations: "If you shut down our power grid, maybe we will put a missile down one of your smokestacks."
Threats such as these might win praise from some computer security experts who perceive the potential damage of online terrorism as equivalent to the 20th century's Atomic bomb. But this latest U.S. defensive escalation could set a dangerous precedent in an era where cybercrime, cyber law and online warfare are ill-defined, and where international cooperation on cybercrime eradication is woefully inadequate at best.
One can only hope that cool heads prevail and better preventative online security measures are developed. The best measures start with the weak human links within organizations; online security begins by training gullible employees how to be less likely to fall for clever cyber schemes such as spear-phishing.
The most basic and essential step any organization can take to increase cyber security is implement a program of Internet Security Awareness Training. For more information on this type of training visit www.knowbe4.com and try our free online phishing security test to see how phish-prone your employees areits a great way to assess the security savvy of your employees.
Stu Sjouwerman
KnowBe4
Jamie Sene
