Cyber-Defense:
A Strategic Approach to Defending our Critical
Information Infrastructure

Jerrold D. Prothero, Ph.D.
jdprothero@hypercerulean.com
Member of Agora

\u201cIndeed, if the historian of the future has to select one day as decisive for the
outcome of the World War he will probably choose August 2, 1914 \u2013 before the
war, for England, had yet begun \u2013 when Mr. Winston Churchill, at 1.25 A.M., sent
the order to mobilize the British navy. That navy was to win no Trafalgar, but it
was to do more than any other factor towards winning the war for the Allies.\u201d

The Internet is insecure to a degree which threatens national security. This paper
presents a strategic approach to this problem, based on fundamental causes,
rather than a tactical approach based on specific vulnerabilities and enforcement
techniques. The fundamental weakness of the Internet is identified as resulting
from a common historical tendency for new technologies to favor convenience
over safety. For reasons specific to the nature of the Internet, this \u201cconvenience
overshoot\u201d has reached quite dangerous proportions. Systematic steps need to
be taken to correct this convenience overshoot by all of Internet end-users;
Internet-related manufacturers; and government. Within this framework, a set of
recommendations is provided.

It is clear to those who have studied the problem that the United States (and
other technologically advanced nations) faces a dangerous, sustained, and
increasingly effective attack on its critical information infrastructure. This paper
differs from many others in presenting a strategic approach to boosting the
inherent security of the Internet and related infrastructure, rather than a series of
tactical responses to known weaknesses and threats.

The Internet is the Great Facilitator. The coupling of data communication and
high-speed computers unifies things which were formerly disparate. The Internet
unifies geography, extending our reach instantly around the world. And it unifies
information, allowing data formerly scattered in numerous sources to be easily
combined. The Internet aids communication, collaboration and exchange. While
generally beneficial, new risks arise when these increased capabilities are used
by our attackers.

We have often likened the Internet to a highway. Another analogy is to compare
the Internet to the oceans. Prior to the development of modern roads, water
transport was even more important than it is today. Much as the Internet today is
a medium for attacking us, the oceans made the British Isles a constant and
pleasing target for invaders. Britain, having a long and easily reached coastline,
was the target of numerous invasions in historical times from the Romans
through the Normans, and no doubt extending back indefinitely through pre-
history.

Something quite different, however, has happened in the last one thousand
years. Britain holds the unique distinction among major powers of not having
been successfully invaded since the year 1066. The reason is largely the
development of the British navy. The British navy had the effect of converting the
oceans from a highway for invaders into a powerful defensive moat.

In essence, the British found a strategic solution to a structural problem. It is
worth noting some of the things which the British did not do (or which were not
effective), as they have some bearing on the discussion of Internet security
today. British security did not rely primarily on tracking all possible invasion
plans; on intercepting all suspicious communication; on a system of rapid
response to landings; on massive retaliation; on seizure of suspicious
Scandinavian fishing boats; or on keeping a low international profile to avoid
threats. Nor is it likely that any of these approaches, by themselves, would have
been effective, regardless of how Draconian they were in implementation.
Instead, the British simply held control of the seas, which stopped all potential
invasions, known or otherwise.