NZ Herald: Anthony Doesburg – Cyberwar? It’s a phoney war, says IT expert

Anthony Doesburg writes in the New Zealand Herald about computer security expert Bruce Schneier’s contention that the US is wasting its money fighting a cyberwar that doesn’t exist.

He believes, instead, that cyberwar is being used as a smokescreen for a power grab.

An excerpt: (read in full here)

“Schneier doesn’t deny the need for Cyber Command. But he thinks Alexander and others are exaggerating the threat.

“”All of this rhetoric is designed to say, ‘Let the NSA, let the Government, let the military take over cyberspace – cyberspace needs the army, not the police’.”

“The military and police have very different rules of engagement with big implications for populations, in this case the online community.

“The actual threats, according to Schneier, are different: cybercrime is the largest; cyber-espionage is another; traditional hacking, without a profit motive, is still prevalent and cyber-activism, often involving young people “playing politics” by attacking government and corporate websites and networks, is on the rise.”