On March 15th, 2012, Paul Rosenzweig wrote an article for the Hoover Institution of Stanford University. The article considered the uncertain nature of cyberwar, and the United States' most likely adversary: China.
Mr. Rosenzweig wrote on how the US and China see each other as opponents in cyberspace. A DOD report revealed that the U.S. thinks that China is "developing capabilities for cyberwarfare" because it is "consistent with authoritative [PLA] military writings." China thinks that the US is a threat because we're pushing internet war to a stormy peak (whatever that means).
Despite our love of stormy peaks, the reality is that China has flexed its cyber-muscle quite a bit more than the US. Mr. Rosenzweig ran through a number of Chinese-backed cyberattacks, including Operation Aurora (the attack on Google), the redirection of 15% of the world's internet traffic through China Telecom's servers, logic bombs found in the US electrical grid, and the attack on RSA. Interestingly, Mr. Rosenzweig wrote that a US State Department cable (released by WikiLeaks) revealed that the Chinese Politburo Standing Committee authorized Operation Aurora.
Mr. Rosenzweig noted that, even with overwhelming suspicious about Chinese intent, attribution is still tough. Nevertheless, "Though a full cyberwar has yet to be fought, both sides are preparing for the worst."
You can find the source article here.
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