Why the US Doesn’t Use Cyber Weapons to Attack Its Enemies More Often
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Feds are wary of making the country even more of a target for cyberattacks.
The US government doesn’t like to talk about it, but it has developed an arsenal of cyber-weapons that can be used to attack adversaries. Why doesn’t it deploy computer worms and other technologies for disrupting enemies’ networks and computer-controlled physical infrastructure more often in conflicts around the world?
Mike McConnell, vice chairman at government contractor Booz Allen Hamilton and former head of the National Security Agency and US director of National Intelligence, says the US has the best capabilities in the world for cyber-attacking and “can do some pretty significant damage if we choose to.”
But the government hesitates because it’s wary of making itself an even bigger target for cyber-attacks against the US, according to McConnell.