So far, we have been talking about the offensive cyber capabilities of some of the most important cyber powers (including the U.S.). But what about cyber defense? How do you defend against cyber-espionage, cyber-sabotage, or disinformation? Is there an effective way of defending against each, either in or outside of cyber space? How do you determine a proportionate response to an attack on a dam or a power grid? How do you determine who should respond to a cyber-attack on a corporation (the corporation attacked, the military, or the intelligence agency)? How do you avoid escalation that could lead potentially to the use of weapons of mass destruction (chemical, biological, or nuclear)? What could restrain countries from over-reacting, that is, from using disproportionate retaliation in responding to a cyber attack?
In this prompt I am not necessarily testing you on the knowledge you have acquired so far in the course. Instead, I am asking you to think creatively about the ways of preventing one of the greatest threats to world peace today, a cyber-attack that got out of control.
It goes without saying that there is no right way of responding to this prompt. There are only more or less creative ways of doing so. You are welcome to draw from outside sources but are in no way obliged to. If you do draw from outside sources make sure you provide appropriate information about each source you use.
I strongly discourage the use of direct quotes in your essays!
Your essay will be evaluated according to the points breakdown indicated below.
Content
30 points – effective defense,
30 points-proportionality of response, and
30 points-avoiding a deadly escalation.
Style
5 points – spelling/grammar/readability
5 points – overall organization