The Pentagon's released a fascinating 11-page report on cybersecurity that raises an alarm about recent cyberattacks and reveals what the Defense Department is trying to do about them. The Pentagon organizes the document in five initiatives, and TechRepublic’s John Joyner has helpfully paraphrased them.

• The military will give the effort sufficient resources: An amazing claim: “Although it is a man-made domain, cyberspace is now as relevant a domain for Department of Defense (DoD) activities as the naturally occurring domains of land, sea, air, and space.”
• The military will try and manage IT security better: The initiative includes subcategories on following cyber hygiene best practices, focusing on insider threat mitigation, deploying a better Intrusion Prevention System (IPS), and constantly developing new defense operating concepts.
• The military will partner with other government agencies and the private sector: The military wants to enable a “whole of government” approach to increase national cybersecurity. The DoD has partnered with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to lead interagency efforts.
• The military will leverage U.S. allies and partners to act globally against the bad guys: It’s right for government to lead a collective self-defense effort, and this strategy is a logical underpinning for all kinds of possible new strategic alliances.
• The military will recruit patriot geeks to replicate the dynamism of the private sector: “This is the most exciting part of the document, where the Pentagon describes how American ingenuity is a cyber strength we can draw on,” Joyner says.

Even if you have only a passing interest how the government and the military view cybersecurity and potential threats to our national defense, you should check out the report. It’s about as compelling as these things get. Source: TechRepublic