Comment Technical attribution is a fantasy (Score 1) 117
Kudos to wiredmikey (and the ed?) for capturing that attribution of an attack is the key sticking point for military response.
Attributing attacks in a packet switched network like the Internet is just a fantasy.. Sure, you can trace an attack back to, say, China, but how do you know the attack originated there? You don't, unless China cooperates and gives your forensics experts access to their networks. Which probably will not happen.
So the hawks want to shore up some credibility for attribution. Here is the plan, from the linked DoD PDF:
This research focuses on two primary areas: developing new ways to trace the physical source of an attack, and seeking to assess the identity of the attacker via behavior-based algorithms.
Nice try Pentagon, but statistically-powered voodoo does not overcome the problem here: that the attacking machines could be controlled from anywhere, possibly even through teh 7 proxies. Lulz.
Maybe we should listen to the National Research Council when they write "deterrence of cyberattacks by the threat of in-kind response has limited applicability." (NRC Report, p.5)
I'll close with a suggestion: why not, instead of focusing on how and when we get to launch attacks, focus on bettering our defenses?