David sanger the perfect weapon steven

David E. Sanger’s riveting work, The Perfect Weapon: War, Sabotage and Fear in the Cyber Age, explores the quandary of how to use and defend against cyber-attacks. He describes the perfection of cyber weapons as their almost limitless ability to steal money, pilfer secrets, sabotage critical infrastructure, undermine democracies, and tear societies apart at the seams.

Cyber weapons are available to large and small powers, democracies and dictators and they have altered the geopolitical landscape forever. The panoply of questions that this fact raises makes Sanger’s book fascinating. How does a nation respond to, deter, or defend against a stealthy, effective, deniable cyberattack?

James Clapper said Snowden had taken advantage: David Sanger and Eric Schmitt, “Spy Chief Says Snowden Took Advantage of 'Perfect Storm' of Security Lapses.

Is it better to threaten an overwhelming cyber counterattack? Or should it be a non-cyber response, ranging from economic sanctions, a conventional military response or even going nuclear? Does a nation “bunker-in” and harden its defenses?

(Sanger alleges this is a 10-year task for the United St