cnn.com - Homeland Security seeks cyber counterattack system(Einstein 3.0)

Mon Oct 6 12:40:35 UTC 2008

-----Original Message-----
From: Steve Church [mailto:nanog at headcandy.org] 
Sent: Monday, October 06, 2008 8:24 AM
To: nanog at nanog.org
Subject: Re: cnn.com - Homeland Security seeks cyber counterattack
system(Einstein 3.0)

> If it's going to "literally" shot down an attack like an AA weapon, are
> they planning on physically launching projectiles at compromised machines
> across the world and destroying them?

Bill, they're probably planning on physically launching explosive
projectiles at compromised users.

/me dons his tinfoil hat

Steve
[Howard C. Berkowitz] 
Not being able to resist, they may be thinking of physically launching
compromised users at the assumed servers. As the circus owner pleaded with
the Man Shot Out of the Cannon not to leave the show, he pointed out "It's
very difficult to find a man of your caliber."

(While that's Pythonesque rather than canonical Python, is there an
equivalent to Godwin's Law for pythonisms? Alas, would it be applicable if
the pythonism were issued by a government official?)

Seriously, see U.S. Joint Publication 3-13, "Information Operations", p. 33
of the PDF at http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/jel/new_pubs/jp3_13.pdf  That is
intended, of course, for an actual war situation. The more open literature
on electronic warfare is also relevant to understand the less silly military
views -- and I emphasize a warfare situation, not a persistent spammer, may
the fleas of ten thousand camels infest his armpits.