The Pentagon Has a Classified List of Cyber Weapons Approved for Cyber Warfare

The Pentagon has developed a list of cyber-weapons and -tools, including viruses that can sabotage an adversary’s critical networks, to streamline how the United States engages in computer warfare.

Placing cyber weapons in the arsenal right next to cruise missiles, airstrikes, and M-16s is “perhaps the most significant operational development in military cyber-doctrine in years.” Indeed, it brings clarity to an otherwise murky area of international military relations where the rules of engagement are somewhat opaque. And, perhaps most notably, it establishes the chain of command.
For instance, it specifies when a cyber attack requires presidential authorization and when it does not. For instance, if the military wishes to plant a virus in a foreign nation’s networks that can be activated later, it needs a presidential nod. But a variety of other activities, including spying on other nations’ cyber capabilities or leaving “beacons” behind to mark vulnerable sites in foreign systems, need no approval from the Commander in Chief.

via The Washington Post