Shane Harris in his book @War: The Rise of the Internet-Military Complex (2015) explains that the government is partnering with large technology companies in order to carry out espionage and digital attacks that have real world consequences. Harris supports his claims by describing the operations and programs the US engaged in alongside private technology companies based on public knowledge and on interviews conducted with top US officials. The author’s purpose is to inform the audience about the potential dangers of cyberwar and how the government is deeply involved in cyberspace, both defensively and offensively, so that the reader understands the potent risks we face in a digital world and can decide whether or not the government’s involvement
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He claims the book is based on over one-thousand interviews conducted with government employees and other influential people in the field. Harris discloses how crucial it is for people who work for the government to refrain from sharing classified information, but explains that the line between classified and public knowledge becomes blurred. For this reason, Harris agreed to not disclose the identities of many of his sources. However, he promises that when he needs to cite anonymous sources, he does his best to explain why the sources are credible and …show more content…
The aforementioned Stuxnet worm that delayed Iran’s nuclear capabilities by two years is used to support this claim. The author also supports this claim by claiming a cyber attack could potentially cripple an economy. Simply deleting data from banking systems could result in economic crisis. Harris cites an instance where the military planned to attack Iraq’s banking system prior to the 2003 invasion, however the military called off this plan because they feared the attack may accidentally spread to France’s banking system. This shows the nature of digital warfare is similar to that of physical warfare; an attack can have accidental effects on unintended targets. This is reflected in the Presidential Policy Directive 20 passed by the Obama administration in 2012. This document lays a framework and designates responsibilities in the case of digital warfare. Perhaps most importantly, this document states that when the US carries out a digital attack, it must result in minimal collateral damage and it must not spread to unintended targets. This document makes clear that the presidential administration also recognises the extraordinary power and risks in cyber
He claims the book is based on over one-thousand interviews conducted with government employees and other influential people in the field. Harris discloses how crucial it is for people who work for the government to refrain from sharing classified information, but explains that the line between classified and public knowledge becomes blurred. For this reason, Harris agreed to not disclose the identities of many of his sources. However, he promises that when he needs to cite anonymous sources, he does his best to explain why the sources are credible and …show more content…
The aforementioned Stuxnet worm that delayed Iran’s nuclear capabilities by two years is used to support this claim. The author also supports this claim by claiming a cyber attack could potentially cripple an economy. Simply deleting data from banking systems could result in economic crisis. Harris cites an instance where the military planned to attack Iraq’s banking system prior to the 2003 invasion, however the military called off this plan because they feared the attack may accidentally spread to France’s banking system. This shows the nature of digital warfare is similar to that of physical warfare; an attack can have accidental effects on unintended targets. This is reflected in the Presidential Policy Directive 20 passed by the Obama administration in 2012. This document lays a framework and designates responsibilities in the case of digital warfare. Perhaps most importantly, this document states that when the US carries out a digital attack, it must result in minimal collateral damage and it must not spread to unintended targets. This document makes clear that the presidential administration also recognises the extraordinary power and risks in cyber