Retired Lieutenant Colonel Bill Hagestad — a leader in cyber security strategy — was recently interviewed about his insight into Chinese cyber activity and what the U.S. should be doing to prepare itself.
He's also written the book 21st Century Chinese Cyberwarfare, which sounds pretty specific to the security industry, but he makes a good point:
"It’s important because anyone, anywhere, regardless of the industry they’re in...cannot pick up a newspaper or read a blog without hearing about the cyber threats from the People’s Republic of China, regarding their use of cyber and information warfare."
Speaking with Chris Archer at the Institute for Defense and Government Advancement (IDGA), Hagestad shares why China has delved into cyber warfare — the reason goes back hundreds of years — and offers fascinating tidbits about the issue, such as pointing out how the Chinese language makes it a cryptologic force to be reckoned with.
On that note, he also shares his view of the U.S. military's weaknesses and the challenges it faces in countering Chinese cyber threats. Find out what he reveals, based on his conversation with Chris Archer of the IDGA.
How does Chinese Communism and the country's heritage relate to its activity in cyberspace?
"One has to go back no greater than 200 years to look at how the Chinese view the Western world. Perhaps further back, taking an example in history of the Mongol invasion of China.
"The Chinese are sick and tired of having foreign forces come and invade them and extract the natural resources of their country.
"They know they cannot defend themselves kinetically with the military they have, so what they have decided to do is take the high ground and take the advantage in the cyber realm, i.e. the internet, and take that fight to their foes through the use of Cyber and Information Warfare."
Source: Institute for Defense and Government Advancement
What should the US understand first about dealing with China?
"Understanding who China really is. And I think that is something that’s not known.
"There are a lot of people who say they’re China experts, I would never claim to be a China expert. All I can tell you is I love the country of China but I also love my country and when there is a unique crossroads of understanding one’s own culture and a foreign culture, only then can you start to be able to defeat it.
"There are many anecdotes from SunTsu, the Chinese war God from 500 B.C. His writings can give us some proper guidance in those regards."
Source: Institute for Defense and Government Advancement
How can the US prepare for Chinese cyber attacks?
"How can the U.S. government defend itself? I think the most important thing is to start to develop a concrete offensive and perhaps establish some political dialogue to go along with that but when the political dialogue erodes, dissolves, or becomes useless they can go forward with offensive cyber capabilities and combine it with kinetic farms (physical things like bullets, bombs, and troops)."
Source: Institute for Defense and Government Advancement
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