How big a deal is the reported Russian hack of White House computers?

[Audrey McNeil <audrey () riskbasedsecurity com>]

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/how-big-a-deal-is-the-reported-russian-hack-of-white-house-computers/

Federal agencies are now investigating a reported Russian hack of a White
House computer network last year that exposed sensitive information about
President Obama. And while the White House has not formally accused the
Russian government of involvement in the cyber attack, sources tell CBS
News the intrusion did originate in Russia.

The attack, however, only breached "the unclassified system," explained CBS
News Senior National Security Analyst Juan Zarate. "There are classified
systems that are more heavily protected, harder to infiltrate."

So while it could have been worse, Zarate said, the attack was problematic
for two reasons. "One...we can't have Internet and cyber infrastructure
that is vulnerable to penetration by the Russians, or anybody else," he
explained. "That's just not good. You have sensitive information, even if
that's not classified on there, and you shouldn't have penetration."

"The second though, and this is more intriguing from a geopolitical
perspective, is to the extent that the Russians are responsible for
this...This is telling, because it's not new that the Russians have been
behind attacks, but it is a symbolic intrusion at a time of heightened
tension between the West and Russia," Zarate explained.

The U.S. response, Zarate said, must be multi-faceted. "You try to do
everything possible to understand who's behind it, what kind of
infiltration happened, what kind of data was exfiltrated," he said. "Second
is you've got to harden your systems because, to the extent that there are
vulnerabilities in one part of the system, there are likely other
vulnerabilities. And you don't want the Chinese, the Russians, or anybody
else getting inside your systems whether unclassified or classified."

It's worth remembering, Zarate added, that while the U.S. possesses these
same cyber capabilities, and likely some even more powerful tools, American
policymakers are generally more responsible in deploying them.

"The U.S. doesn't buy policy and, by law, and engage in the kind of cyber
economic espionage that the Chinese do," he said. "They don't coordinate
with non-state proxies and organized crime groups and activists like the
Russians do...There's no question the US has capabilities and we're the
best in the business in many ways, but we actually constrain the way we use
the power. The challenge is the Russians and the Chinese are thinking more
aggressively about how they use it."

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