Pentagon Seeks Expanded Cyber Defense Permission

According to the Washington Post, the Pentagon has announced a plan that would allow U.S. military cyber-security specialists to take action on computers outside the U.S. network to defend critical infrastructure. This rule change would allow security specialists to take action against computers in other countries, including government and private computer systems, in order to defend U.S. infrastructure. From the article:

“Without a doubt it would be a very big and significant step forward,” said a senior defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive topic. “It would account for changes in technology that will give more flexibility in defending the nation from cyberattack.” 

Currently, the military is permitted to take defensive actions or to block malicious software — such as code that can sabotage another computer — only inside or at the boundaries of its own networks. But advances in technology and mounting concern about the potential for a cyberattack to damage power stations, water-treatment plants and other critical systems have prompted senior officials to seek a more robust role for the department’s Cyber Command.