Snowden: Don’t Hack Back

Its a safe bet the U.S. government isnt taking advice from Edward Snowden these days, but the infamous leaker offered the Obama administration a warning as it mulls a further response to North Koreas alleged hacking of Sony Pictures Entertainment: dont hack back.

In an interview with PBS Nova Next released Thursday, Snowden offered thoughts on cyberwar that are newly relevant after high-profile cyberattacks at J.P. Morgan Chase , Sony and elsewhere. James Bamford conducted the June 30 interview in Moscow; it features some of the same material as Bamfords August cover story in Wired.

When it comes to cyber warfare, we have more to lose than any other nation on earth, Snowden said, according to a transcript. The technical sector is the backbone of the American economy, and if we start engaging in these kind of behaviors, in these kind of attacks, were setting a standard, were creating a new international norm of behavior that says this is what nations do.

Many current and former U.S. security officials agree. If the Internet becomes a battlefield, they say, the U.S. is so well wired that it would be relatively easy to inflict damage. But theres less to attack in a country like North Korea.

The U.S. last week announced sanctions against North Korea as the first step of retaliation for the Sony hack. Several people involved in the deliberations are opposed to launching a digital counterstrike against Pyongyang.

In the PBS interview, Snowden alluded to a previously reported anecdote that the National Security Agency accidentally knocked Syria offline in 2012 when it hacked into its Internet gear for spying purposes.

A former U.S. official familiar wouldnt discuss Syria specifically but said, Hypothetically, when youre doing those kinds of things, something like that is not beyond the realm of the possible.

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Snowden: Don’t Hack Back