14 DAY TRIAL // Army General Keith Alexander, the commander of the US Cyber Command (Cybercom) and the director of the National Security Agency, has told Congress that three sets of teams are being put together to protect the country’s cyberspace.
“These defend-the-nation teams are not defensive teams, these are offensive teams that the Defense Department would use to defend the nation if it were attacked in cyberspace,” Alexander told the Senate Armed Services Committee.
“Thirteen of the teams we’re creating are for that mission set alone. We’re also creating 27 teams that would support combatant commands and their planning process for offensive cyber capabilities.”
In addition to these, a series of teams will be tasked with defending the networks of the US Department of Defense.
According to the army general, the teams will represent the core of a cyber framework.
Alexander highlights the predictions made by the antivirus industry, according to which cyberattacks will increase this year. He believes command and control is crucial to the Cybercom’s strategy.
“We’ve done a lot of work on that, and have ironed out how the joint cyber centers at each combatant command will work with Cyber Command, how we push information back and forth, and how we’ll have operational and direct support of teams operating in their areas. We’ll have more to do on this as the teams come online,” the NSA director noted.
In addition to the command and control, situational awareness is also an important part of the strategy.
Alexander says that many cyberattacks are first spotted by the private sector, which is why information sharing in real time is vital. All stakeholders must share data, including the FBI, the DHS, Internet service providers and the Defense Department.
“If we’re going to see [an attack] in time to make a difference, we have to see it in real time. And companies that are sharing the information with the Defense Department have to have protection against privacy lawsuits from customers and other potential liabilities,” he added.