Pentagon works to lay out rules of electronic war and when to strike back at cyber attacks

Pentagon works to define rules of cyber warfare

WASHINGTON — A Pentagon official says the U.S. military may never have a direct answer on when to fire back against a computer-based attack.

Deputy Defense Undersecretary James Miller says the Pentagon has been working through a range of scenarios in an effort to come up with rules for cyber war. In the complex electronic world, attacks can be launched from continents away in milliseconds and routed through civilian’s computers by unknown assailants.

Miller says officials may have to use their judgment because there are a lot of gray areas in this field. He says officials are trying to address policy questions, including when an attempt to steal sensitive data or attack a network rises to the level of aggression that must be answered.