HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019693.jpg
1.68 MB
Extraction Summary
2
People
8
Organizations
5
Locations
2
Events
1
Relationships
2
Quotes
Document Information
Type:
Book page / house oversight committee production
File Size:
1.68 MB
Summary
This document is page 205 from a book (indicated by the ISBN in the filename, likely 'How America Lost Its Secrets' by Edward Jay Epstein) included in a House Oversight production. The text details the establishment of the U.S. Cyber Command in 2009 under General Keith Alexander, the difficulties in attributing cyber attacks (citing the 2014 Sony hack), and the NSA's mandate to dominate cyberspace and intercept information from adversaries like Russia, China, and North Korea. It mentions the NSA's annual budget of $12.3 billion and workforce size.
People (2)
| Name | Role | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Keith Alexander | General / NSA Director |
First director of the U.S. Cyber Command; quoted regarding cyber warfare strategy.
|
| James Clap- | Official (likely James Clapper) |
Mentioned at the very end of the page in the context of 2013 (text cuts off).
|
Organizations (8)
| Name | Type | Context |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Cyber Command |
Created in 2009, merging cyber-defense units.
|
|
| NSA |
National Security Agency; parent organization for Cyber Command.
|
|
| Army |
Cyber-defense unit merged into Cyber Command.
|
|
| Navy |
Cyber-defense unit merged into Cyber Command.
|
|
| Marines |
Cyber-defense unit merged into Cyber Command.
|
|
| Air Force |
Cyber-defense unit merged into Cyber Command.
|
|
| Sony |
Victim of a cyber attack in December 2014.
|
|
| House Oversight Committee |
Producer of the document (indicated by Bates stamp).
|
Locations (5)
| Location | Context |
|---|---|
|
Identified as principal actor behind Sony attack; target of NSA interception.
|
|
|
Viewed as source of attacks on western infrastructure; target of NSA interception.
|
|
|
Potential target for retaliation; target of NSA interception.
|
|
|
Potential target for retaliation; target of NSA interception.
|
|
|
Location of electrical grid and infrastructure mentioned.
|
Relationships (1)
General Keith Alexander became the first director of this new command.
Key Quotes (2)
"The Chinese are viewed as the source of a great many attacks on western infrastructure and just recently, the U.S. electrical grid"Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019693.jpg
Quote #1
"If that is determined to be an organized attack, I would want to go and take down the source of those attacks."Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019693.jpg
Quote #2
Full Extracted Text
Complete text extracted from the document (2,511 characters)
The Rise of the NSA | 205
gon belatedly created the U.S. Cyber Command in 2009. In it, the
cyber-defense units of the army, navy, marines, and air force cyber
forces were merged together and put under the command of the
NSA director. General Keith Alexander became the first director
of this new command. One problem for the Cyber Command was
separating attacks by civilians, including criminals, hacktivists, and
anarchists, from cyber warfare sponsored and supported by adver-
sary states. Because foreign intelligence services often closely imi-
tated the tools of civilian hackers, and were even known to provide
them with hacking tools, it was not easy for the Cyber Command
to unambiguously determine if the ultimate perpetrator of a cyber
attack was state sponsored. For example, the identification of North
Korea as the principal actor behind the attack on Sony in December
2014 appeared to be a rare success, but many cyber-security experts
believed that it might be a false trail used to hide the real attacker.
Clues could be fabricated in cyberspace to point to the wrong party.
cyber-defense units of the army, navy, marines, and air force cyber
forces were merged together and put under the command of the
NSA director. General Keith Alexander became the first director
of this new command. One problem for the Cyber Command was
separating attacks by civilians, including criminals, hacktivists, and
anarchists, from cyber warfare sponsored and supported by adver-
sary states. Because foreign intelligence services often closely imi-
tated the tools of civilian hackers, and were even known to provide
them with hacking tools, it was not easy for the Cyber Command
to unambiguously determine if the ultimate perpetrator of a cyber
attack was state sponsored. For example, the identification of North
Korea as the principal actor behind the attack on Sony in December
2014 appeared to be a rare success, but many cyber-security experts
believed that it might be a false trail used to hide the real attacker.
Clues could be fabricated in cyberspace to point to the wrong party.
The job of the Cyber Command was to prevent such an attack. To
this end, it planted viruses on hundreds of thousands of computers
in private hands to act as sentinels to spot other suspicious viruses
that could mount such an attack. Private computers had become
a new battleground in the cyber wars. It also built a capability to
retaliate. Still, cyber attacks, which were launched through layers of
other countries' computers, could not be unambiguously traced back
to the true perpetrator.
this end, it planted viruses on hundreds of thousands of computers
in private hands to act as sentinels to spot other suspicious viruses
that could mount such an attack. Private computers had become
a new battleground in the cyber wars. It also built a capability to
retaliate. Still, cyber attacks, which were launched through layers of
other countries' computers, could not be unambiguously traced back
to the true perpetrator.
This escalation by the Cyber Command set the stage for expanded
forms of warfare in cyberspace. "The Chinese are viewed as the
source of a great many attacks on western infrastructure and just
recently, the U.S. electrical grid," General Alexander said in explain-
ing the need for this consolidation. "If that is determined to be an
organized attack, I would want to go and take down the source of
those attacks." The same retaliation would presumably be used
against Russia, Iran, or any other adversary. Dominance of cyber-
space itself now became part of the NSA's mandate.
forms of warfare in cyberspace. "The Chinese are viewed as the
source of a great many attacks on western infrastructure and just
recently, the U.S. electrical grid," General Alexander said in explain-
ing the need for this consolidation. "If that is determined to be an
organized attack, I would want to go and take down the source of
those attacks." The same retaliation would presumably be used
against Russia, Iran, or any other adversary. Dominance of cyber-
space itself now became part of the NSA's mandate.
Even so, the most important job of the NSA remained intercept-
ing secret information from Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea.
To this end, it had an annual budget of $12.3 billion and some thirty-
five thousand military and civilian employees. In 2013, James Clap-
ing secret information from Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea.
To this end, it had an annual budget of $12.3 billion and some thirty-
five thousand military and civilian employees. In 2013, James Clap-
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9/30/16 8:13 AM
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019693
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