Former CIA Director Responds to Cyberwarfare Sensationalism

Regarding the current media-provoked flurry of discussion over rumors of China and America’s “cyber warfare,” former CIA Director Michael Hayden stated that taking upsetting matters that occur online and calling them “cyber attacks” or “cyber warfare” is inaccurate, misleading and sensational — what’s most troubling is “cyber espionage.”

China and America Search for Common Ground

At the Jamestown Foundation on the afternoon of Feb. 28, Hayden delivered a speech titled “China and the Cyber Challenge.” On that day, the Chinese military accused foreign hackers of an average of 144,000 attacks on China’s two military networks per month last year, and 62.9 percent of those attacks were from the U.S. A China Review News reporter asked Hayden if he believes these two nations are engaged in media warfare over some mere cyber issues or has cyber warfare really occurred between them, and how to respond to this kind of challenge.

Hayden replied that the media likes to take unpleasant things that happen on the Internet and call them “cyber attacks” or “cyber warfare.” This is inaccurate, misleading and sensationalized. He said he has personally always used the term “cyber espionage.” In no way should the behavior of spies be classified as “attacks” when this is a typical state activity. Additionally, there are still other players engaging in destructive activities on the Internet; attacks on websites fall under this category. This isn’t acceptable behavior for the global Internet era of peacetime and governments ought to prevent it, but the world’s nations still lack a consensus on how to differentiate this kind of behavior.

　

As for whether or not America ought to set up a kind of criteria to prevent the escalation of the cyber attack situation, Hayden said both sides should first discuss their respective viewpoints, see where there is overlap, discover a space where both sides can agree and from there, set out to see how many additional unanimous opinions can be realized. He doesn’t think both sides can agree to cease their cyber espionage, but the formulation of guidelines is a possibility. He pointed out that perhaps America and China could first discover some common ground concerning disruptive cyber behavior — rather than cyber espionage — and decide what behavior is acceptable in peacetime.

Hayden is Most Worried about Cyber Espionage

In his speech, the CIA director during Bush’s second-term (2006-2009), pointed out that when he was in office and evaluating approaching security challenges for the U.S., China was always on the list. However, he frequently clarified that China is not like Iran, an immediate threat, but that China is very important. No matter whether it’s a good thing or a bad thing, it all comes down to that one matter. He emphasized that China is not America’s enemy and has no reason to become America’s enemy. The two nations have differences, but their leaders should keep those under control and prevent them from escalating into conflict. He said that if another unexpected incident like the Sept. 11 attacks were to happen right now in the U.S., the situation may go even further; he doesn’t know if the leaders could keep it covered.

　

Hayden said the most worrying to him is China’s mercantilism, territorial assertions and cyber espionage. He admitted that the U.S. has also carried out acts of cyber espionage against China, but the U.S. did this to protect American security and freedom, not for any profit. Meanwhile, China has more often than not conducted industrial espionage; its intellectual property and classified trade information theft is unprecedented in its scope for economic self-benefit, causing losses to American businesses. He suggested that the American government discuss cyber issues among the prominent issues in the two nations’ relationship. America’s response should be limited to the economic sphere, to restricting import and export licenses and other practices by refusing visas, forcing those engaged in cyber espionage to pay the financial price.

Yang Yi’s Three Hacking Incidents

Concerning the Mandiant Report (recently hyped-up by the American media), Army Major General General Yang Yi (currently visiting Washington), former Director of the Institute for National Strategic Studies at China’s National Defense University, thinks that the U.S. is blowing things out of proportion with its cyber attack concerns. He personally believes there are interest groups working to use the issue for their own benefit, creating hype just for political aims, which will only serve to complicate matters.

Yang Yi points out that the Chinese government firmly opposes Internet attacks. It is already against the law; it cannot possibly be that the government supports it, nor can it be that the military participates in cyber attacks. He says, “We generals all know, we do not have this thing.”*

Yang Yi said China’s gains from the open Internet have been numerous, but it has also incurred much harm. Many departments, including the military, are subject to cyber attacks. In 2009, Yang Yi’s personal computer was hacked three times from foreign sources, including the U.S. He said Chinese people are generally reluctant to speak about this publicly, but rather accept their losses, learn from experience, strengthen their guard and don’t let the thieves steal again.

Yang Yi stressed that network security is a global problem. Establishing a mechanism for dialogue and developing a code of conduct to regulate the cyber realm is of utmost importance for China and the U.S.

*Editor’s Note: This quotation, accurately translated, could not be verified.