Crossroads Blog | Institute National Security and Counterterrorism

cyber attack, Cyber Exploitation, Cybersecurity, hacking, law enforcement, White House

“Cyber-vandalism”? Wrong, Again, Mr. President.

The other day, I criticized the Administration for using the language of war to discuss the Sony hack.  Now, CNN reports that the President has switched to the other end of the rhetorical spectrum: “‘It was an act of cybervandalism,’ Obama said in an interview with CNN.”  Wrong again.  What happened to Sony was not simple defacement of some website.  Vandals do not go inside and steal vast amounts of your property, then extort you with threats of violence.  The unauthorized access of Sony’s networks, the theft of its data, and the subsequent use of that data are major crimes, much more serious than the term “vandalism” suggests.  Having now bracketed the truth, perhaps the Administration will hit the mark with its next rhetorical shot.  Even then, we need more than a rhetorical response.

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