JK op-ed on cyber-terrorism in NY Daily News

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Uniting against the hackers: 21st century cyber-threats demand technological, diplomatic response

BY John Kerry
Monday, April 26th 2010, 4:00 AM

Cyber-attackers worldwide are stealing valuable information, disrupting infrastructure and burrowing deep into computers to turn them into remote-controlled weapons. America is the target of a staggering 2 billion cyber-attacks each month, including attempts to infiltrate our electric grid and steal the designs of our military aircraft. It was recently disclosed that a massive attack targeting Google in January may have compromised its password system, imperiling millions of user accounts.

In our own government, global cyber-issues in the State Department are spread across a half-dozen different offices without a central point of coordination or a consistent strategy. We need more accountability. I recently introduced legislation to establish a senior coordinator at the State Department responsible for bringing together all of our diplomatic capabilities and resources.

America has the credibility to lead on this issue not just because we are technological leaders, but because we champion the spirit of open exchange that empowers the Web and must be preserved.

Make no mistake: Cyber-security cannot come at the expense of cyber-freedom. Just over a year ago, we were awe-struck and inspired as young Iranians used Twitter and other social networking systems to communicate their frustrations with their government.

As some regimes work to erect barriers to information that impinge on the rights of their citizens, we must be aligned with those who believe in free speech and information even as we build partnerships against Internet crime and cyber -attacks.

This isn't the first time a new threat required new strategic thinking and bold diplomacy. Just as the nuclear age required us to invent not only new weapons but new brands of nuclear diplomacy, security in the Internet age will also demand creative approaches to cyber-diplomacy.

More here: http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2010/04/26/2010-04-26_uniting_against_the_hackers.html