By Sean Lawson – I have noted previously that hypothetical, cyber-doom scenarios have become a staple of efforts to motivate a policy response to cyber threats. These scenarios often involve hypothetical cyber attacks upon critical infrastructure leading to mass casualties and widespread disruption of daily life. I have argued that such scenarios are not only unrealistic but that the war/disaster framing and the fear it instills encourages militarized policy responses. Thus, the most significant policy response we have seen today has been the creation of a military command, USCYBERCOM.
Then, there is a clear disconnect between the rhetoric used to motivate a policy response and actual diagnoses of the problem. In a previous post, I demonstrated that key cybersecurity policy documents and statements from top policy makers have consistently diagnosed cyber threats primarily in terms of theft of intellectual property and decreased economic competitiveness. more> http://is.gd/ZFXhJu
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