Mike McConnell postulates that the United States is fighting a cyber-war today, and they are losing. It’s that simple. As the most wired nation on Earth, the US offers the most targets of significance, yet cyber-defenses are woefully lacking. The problem is not one of resources; even in current fiscal straits, we can afford to upgrade our defenses. The problem is that we lack a cohesive strategy to meet this challenge.
The stakes are enormous. To the extent that the sprawling US economy inhabits a common physical space, it is in our communications networks. If an enemy disrupted our financial and accounting transactions, our equities and bond markets or our retail commerce, or created confusion about the legitimacy of those transactions, chaos would result. Our power grids, air and ground transportation, telecommunications, and water-filtration systems are in jeopardy as well.
Read the Washington Post article