USA, China find common cyber-enemy within

Chinese president Xi Jinping visits Washington later this month and ahead of the leader's trip the USA and China have come to some sort of a “consensus on cyber security”. Last week in the USA, Chinese cabinet member Meng Jianzhu met with US secretary of state John Kerry, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Jeh …

[Anonymous Coward]

And

" and will apply the law of the land to those it finds participating in such schemes."

What are the laws of the land? My Chinese legal knowledge is a little rusty.

[Pascal Monett]

One commonly accepted law is 9 grams of lead and the invoice of the funeral costs to the family.

[Graham Marsden]

Re: And

> What are the laws of the land?

Probably the same as in the Good Ol' US of A: If you're doing it, it's bad. If we're doing it, that's ok...

[Mark 85]

Hmm.. so the US doesn't engage is cyber-hacking (or whatever the buzz phrase of the day is for this)? Or is it that we (the States) just haven't been caught yet?

As for Obama's threat to "retaliate".... I don't put a lot credence in that based on what I've seen the administration actually does. Besides the various TLA's are probably too busy grabbing all they can slurp from us citizens, allied citizens, and allied governments if all the news is to believed.

[Anonymous Coward]

It only emanates from the US, of course.

[JLV]

plausible deniability? building trust? open comm channels?

What would motivate Chinese government infosec to frown on Chinese-origin hacks of US DoD assets? What kind of non-state criminals would plausibly have normal, no-state reasons, to target US DoD targets?

Perhaps if the same hackers were hacking PLA assets? Surely also if they were badmouthing Communist Ruling Party of China.

I mean, I am all for de-escalation but how is China, or the US for that matter, going to convince each other that non-state hackers, operating on their turf (no, not territory, that makes 0 sense) are not sponsored by said state. How much is the US seeking in budget slice for CyberCommand? How much is China? Who's written Stuxnet and who is running the Great Firewall?

How are they going to trust but verify that they are indeed benign towards each at any given point in time? They might not be 10 minutes from now, but for now, demonstrate credibly that they are not launching on each other? This might be more relevant to a full on attack, rather than low level espionage, but who'd want to be on the receiving end of an Estonia-style attack, if it breached actual DoD command and control? What would be the temptation to order retaliation before network went down? What's the equivalent of the no-first strike doctrine that was semi-agreed upon from 60s to 90s?

I dunno, next you know, maybe we'll be thinking fondly of good ol' nukes and red phones. No, I don't think it's that bad, but the red phones were hugely important in averting WW3. Better learn from that.

p.s.

I think Obama has a fair point, but he shouldn't have used a Sept 11 speech to make it. Unless he wants to burnish the Dem presidential race a bit. Gets Americans all riled up.

p.p.s.

Personal opinion aside, how the US and China manage their respective dominant status transition is going to be the real next test of diplomacy for next 30 years. Having them talk to each other is always a good thing.

[Lee Mulcahy]

“We've made very clear to the Chinese that there are certain practices that they’re engaging in that we know are emanating from China..."

The phrase "emanating from" may sound like distancing from accusing them directly, but the phrase "they're engaging in" sounds like a pretty direct accusation.

[x 7]

Total BS We all know China are indulging in all-out economic war against the USA and the west as a whole. This simply sounds like Obama not wanting to get into an argument - yet.

Theres a war on the way over the Spratleys and other oceanic territories........this sounds like lulling the enemy to sleep to gain time........but which side is gaining the most from the delay? I'd suggest China is