Imposing Costs On Cyber Attackers

Introduction

This is the third in a series of short papers dealing with cyber attacks and cyber attackers. The first “mapped the landscape” and discussed the targeting principles attackers will employ, the targets sets they will attack, the origins of attackers, and the steps in the cyber attack process at which costs might be imposed on attackers.1 The second paper examined the specific case of cyber burglary, the unauthorized copying of files, using Titan Rain as an examplar.2 It looked into possible policy approaches to preventing such thefts. The paper offered ten policy proposals to minimize the effects of, or to prevent, such attacks. The proposals can be separated into those that can be implemented relatively quickly and those that can only be effective over a longer term.