geekosystem

They shoot hackers, don't they? Well, not yet, but give cyber warfare some time to get its feet and that could change. A new report commissioned by NATO finds that applying the rules of conventional war to cyber warfare makes sense, meaning that countries could be in the clear as far as international law is concerned if they strike beck against virtual attacks with real life force.

This Christmas, Iran -- whose ruling regime is on any number of naughty lists around the world -- got another dose of the gift that keeps on giving. Like a flareup of digital herpes, the Stuxnet virus apparently reared its ugly head once again, with Iranian media announcing on Christmas day that the virus had been causing trouble for industries including  power plants in the south of the nation over the last few months.

The US Air Force is issuing an open casting call for a few good nerds to boost its capabilities for attack and defense in warfare on the web. That's the sense underlying a surprisingly broad -- and oddly public -- request for concept papers from all comers. Prospective cyber warriors are being encouraged to develop everything from attack strategies and defenses to new sets of best practices for a new and often ill-understood battlefield.