By J. Nicholas Hoover
InformationWeek
October 12, 2009

The U.S. government should not make cyberwarfare a priority investment area, according to a report from public policy think tank RAND Corp.

The report, which was underwritten by the Air Force, recommends that the government focus instead on shoring up defenses of critical infrastructure like the nation's telecommunications networks, banking systems, and power grid that may be vulnerable to cyber attack.

"Operational cyber war has an important niche role, but only that," the report states.

At best, cyberwarfare operations "can confuse and frustrate operators of military systems, and then only temporarily," the report notes. "The salient characteristics of cyberattacks--temporary effects and the way attacks impel countermeasures--suggest that they be used sparingly and precisely. Attempting a cyberattack in the hopes that success will facilitate a combat operation may be prudent; betting the operation's success on a particular set of results may not be."

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