Law Enforcement Response

The only case as shown in the Spectrum of Cyber Conflict diagram in which the DOD would initially respond to a cyber attack would be in the case of a serious attack coming from outside the United States. However, even in these circumstances, DOD officials must work closely with Law Enforcement in case the trace is eventually looped back to the United States. In addition, in most cases if the attack is determined to be located within an allied or friendly foreign country, a US law Enforcement agency such as the FBI or DOD investigative agencies will work with the law enforcement officials from that country to further locate and prosecute the attacker.

So as depicted in figure 5, US law enforcement officials in concert with DOD will be intricately involved in most cyber attacks against the national information infrastructure and DOD systems. This type of relationship between DOD and law enforcement must fundamentally change the understanding and nature of national security defense. It must also shape the way DOD prepares to defend and deter against information warfare attacks.