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The cybersecurity National Guard?

As cyberattacks proliferate at every geographic level, with targets ranging from governments to social sites, American lawmakers have been trying to develop comprehensive computer security strategies. Because the nature of cyberattacks changes faster than protective measures can sometimes be drafted, a new congressional proposal gathering traction would establish cybersecurity forces at a more local level.

The Cyber Warrior Act was introduced at the end of March as part of a wave of legislation that included the controversial CISPA. The five co-sponsors of the bill in the House of Representatives argue that the volume of attacks is too much for current cybersecurity forces to handle.

The bill, wrote Newsworks' Carolyn Beeler, calls for the recruitment and and training of National Guard members in effective cybersecurity defenses. State governments would then have a readily available pool of first responders in the event of localized cyberattacks.

"The idea here is to make sure that those who are in the National Guard have the kind of training and expertise to be able to protect us in our states and our nation against cyberthreats," said congresswoman Allyson Schwartz of Pennsylvania, one of the five co-sponsors. The bill is currently in committee.

Computer security in the age of cyber 'lawfare'
The bill stipulates that the Cyber Warriors would train "to prepare for and respond to emergencies involving an attack or natural disaster impacting a computer, electronic, or cyber network."

The bill's wording attempts to encompass the wide variety of cyberthreats that can affect U.S. computer systems and networks. According to ISN's Charles Dunlap, the gaps in protection that legislation such as the Cyber Warrior Act intends to fill with trained personnel are indicative of the difficulties of legislating cyber warfare.

"Parallel to the growing interest in the legal aspects of cyber war are an increasing number of questions focused on the ethical dimension. That is an important consideration for any military endeavor but one just emerging with respect to cyber operations," wrote Dunlap.

The legal ambiguities of cyberspace bring the ability of military operatives like the National Guard to combat computer threats into question.

"Most of the law of armed conflict was designed to address conflicts waged mainly with kinetic weaponry," wrote Dunlap, and although he finds evidence that current laws can apply, many question whether 'lawfare' can adequately address hackers armed with viruses and malware. As governmental policies sort out legal and ethical questions, cyberattackers develop more ways to put information at risk.

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