PRI Podcast Recap: Even as Cyberwar Rages, We Can't Really Decide What Cyberwar Is

Cyber security, which may also be referred to as cyberwarfare, is now at the forefront of American controversy, so much so that in all the conflicting definitions thereof, it may be hard to find one clear definition. According to Rick Forno, director of the University of Maryland Baltimore County's Graduate Cybersecurity Program, "Generally speaking, cyberwarfare is using computers to attack other computers as a way of exercising your national power or supporting your foreign policy or your military strategy." Forno goes on to say that while cyberwarfare can begin with something paralleling the the U.S.'s "shock and awe" tactic, it may also be very stealthy or insidious, and it is hard for people to know sometimes that their computer and personal data are under a cyber attack until it is too late. Forno also discussed where the U.S. lands in the cyberwarfare battlefield. According to him, the U.S. is somewhat vulnerable in that regard, and the U.S. is more susceptible to being the victim of a cyber attack than to be the one initiating an attack. Additionally, Forno claims that the reason why people with the ability to do so have yet to go all out in cyber attacks is that the rule book has yet to be fully ascertained - some are unsure of what is okay and what is not in the realm of cyberwarfare. Fortunately, Forno also does not foresee what may be called a "cyberwarfare Armageddon."