US cyber security forces are authorized to strike first.

The Pentagon has secretly authorized the U.S. Cyber ​​Command (CYBERCOM) to conduct proactive offensive measures to protect the United States from cyber threats. This strategic shift could spark cyber wars between the United States and hackers from other countries, according toNYTimes.

Previously, CYBERCOM was primarily a defensive force, preventing hackers from breaking into US networks. It has only attacked in some cases, such as stopping the activities of the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) on the Internet, but the results are still unclear.

Since the beginning of this yearThe Pentagon has increased the authority and size of CYBERCOM, allowing the force to conduct daily attacks on foreign cyber systems, seeking to disable cyber weapons before they are activated.

The strategic shift was not discussed internally at the White House before it was announced, according to US administration officials. This shows that US President Donald Trump is giving more power to military commanders, in the context of public opinion that Washington has not had appropriate defense measures against increasing cyber attacks.

Observers say it is unclear whether the US government has considered the risks of conducting such cyberattacks. Rivals such as Russia, China and North Korea have all been accused by the US of sponsoring hackers to conduct cyberattacks against the US.

CYBERCOM launching a preemptive strike against these forces in cyberspace could push the US into escalating tensions with the world's nuclear powers.

Another difficulty is that CYBERCOM's operations often take place secretly in allied networks, which forced the Obama administration to postpone plans to increase the force's powers.

The new strategy follows more than a decade of US counterterrorism, where Washington learned the best way to deal with al-Qaeda and IS is to destroy them at their source. Accordingly, the US will continuously conduct "below the level of war" operations against foreign computer networks, with the goal of stopping the adversaries' malicious activities before they weaken US national power.

"Pushing US defenses closer to the source of enemy activity will help uncover and exploit adversary weaknesses, intentions, and capabilities. Sustained attacks will disrupt tactics and cause adversaries to lose strategic advantage, forcing them to shift resources to defense and reduce offense," the new CYBERCOM strategy document revealed.

Another Pentagon document released in May 2017 provided the legal basis for attacking nuclear missiles at their launch pads using “non-kinetic” means, which refers to cyber attacks and other tools instead of air strikes.

After being expanded, CYBERCOM announced that 133 cyber warfare units in its ranks were ready for operation after years of development. However, these units mainly protect the Pentagon's internal network system, rarely directly launching cyber attacks.

The provision that the US president is the only person with the authority to use cyber weapons, similar to the authority to order the deployment of nuclear weapons, is an acknowledgement of the unpredictable and widespread impact of these weapons.

"This is a 'defend from a distance' approach, because what we have done before has not been effective. However, we must carefully consider the consequences of cyber attacks," warned Jason Healey, who runs the cyber initiative at Columbia University in the US.