First, you should understand that I have the highest regard for Richard Clarke for his knowledge about terrorism and cyber warfare. I believe him to be one of the most visionary individuals in his field both within and outside government. I first heard him speak at a symposium in the White House Conference Center in early 1999 and had the pleasure of meeting him during the millennium date cutover in John Tritak’s office at the CIAO (Critical Infrastructure Assurance Office). Clarke left a lengthy government service following a highly visible run-in with the Bush Administration and formed Good Harbor Consulting. He has written several books. His earlier books were nonfiction; then he dabbled in fiction; and now he’s back to nonfiction with his latest book.
Dr. Clarke (yes, he has a Ph.D., but doesn’t flaunt it) explained to Ms. Maddow that the Obama Administration’s cyber command initiative is designed to protect only that segment of the critical cyber infrastructure which is directly controlled by the government, and that the private sector is on its own. Just as this makes no sense in the physical world (individuals and businesses are not expected to defend their assets from enemy air attacks), it is similarly inappropriate in the cyber world. He admitted that much of the nation’s critical infrastructure (namely, that which is neither under government control nor considered to by the private sector to be its responsibility – the equivalent of the so-called “commons”) is not protected by anyone nor is it likely to be unless the private sector is forced to take on that responsibility via laws and regulations. And he does not seem to hold out much hope for regulatory action.
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