Snowden says that an NSA initiative called U.S. Cyber Command has designed an automated system that responds to cyber-attacks by fighting fire with fire.
In 2013, Edward Snowden became one of the United States government’s biggest enemies when he leaked countless documents about constitutionally questionable NSA spying programs. Now, Snowden has kicked off 2015 by taking another shot at the U.S. government, this time concerning cyber defense and offense policies.
According to a report from the USA Today, Snowden opened up in a recent interview for the PBS program, NOVA. The interview was held in Moscow, where Snowden is currently residing. The former NSA contractor is still wanted by the U.S. government for misuse of classified records, along with various other charges, but was granted asylum by Russia.
A full transcript of Snowden’s NOVA interview, conducted by James Bramford, can be read here. The basic thrust of the interview, though, is that Snowden is worried about U.S. policies concerning cyber-attacks.
Specifically, Snowden says that an NSA initiative called U.S. Cyber Command has designed an automated system that responds to cyber-attacks by fighting fire with fire. In other words, if the system gets hit by a piece of malware, it doesn’t just block it with firewall, but responds by sending out a cyber-attack of its own. Snowden says this kind of system is risky, because a talented hacker could hoodwink the system into directing devastating cyber-attacks at government offices or other unintended targets.
What Snowden wants is for the U.S. government to ditch the offensive and focus on the defensive. If the government used its resources and knowledge to help develop cyber defense tools, the result could be a safer internet for all domestic citizens.
The government has people researching vulnerabilities, viruses, and malware in order to build offensive cyber-attack programs. Snowden thinks that this research should be passed on to tech companies, so that the private industry can fix the problems and develop greater security measures across the board.
“When it comes to cyberwarfare, we have more to lose than any other nation on Earth,” Snowden reasoned.
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