Experts recommend an international code of conduct for cyberwar

The United States and foreign countries should broker a code of conduct for offensive cyber actions that bans knocking out banking, power and other critical infrastructure networks except when nations are engaged in war, some former U.S. defense and intelligence officials said. Their recommendation follows the White House's release of an international cybersecurity doctrine that states the country "will respond to hostile acts in cyberspace as we would to any other threat to our country" and "use all necessary means . . . in order to defend our nation." In recent years, the sophistication of network attacks has sparked debate about the nature of cyberwar -- specifically over those "means" and how they should be deployed.