How serious of a threat is cyber warfare to you? Feel free to share your opinion.

Dodd told us that these threats should be taken very seriously because these groups are “absolutely ruthless in their attacks.” They are “well-versed in how to get past our good senses” and are now reaching out on social networks to gather information and recruit people to join their cause. Social networks have proven to be a golden ticket for terrorist camps since they can get personal with users.

To put some perspective on just how serious cyber attacks are getting, Dodd said that terrorists are currently able to recruit 100s and 1000s of people in just a couple of months as a result of social media. Given that same period of time a few years ago, they were only able to draft around 10 people.

For this reason, Dodd said, “Cyber will be the next generation warfare.”

“It imposes a huge threat not only from the aspect of how fast they can recruit people and get the right talent, but also how hard it is for the U.S. because of privacy laws to actually look at those networks and see who’s being recruited.”

Because privacy is such a debated topic in America, it brings another challenging element to addressing these cyber attacks. On one hand, U.S. citizens put tremendous value on their privacy, which is understandable. However, when it comes to terror, should privacy take a backseat?

“While we have to have privacy, I do believe that there should be provisions in there that, when known actors are going and grooming the next generation terrorist, I believe, without a doubt, that there should be some policy put in place that says they can go in and monitor and… take these guys out,” said Dodd.

He went on to say that Anwar Al-Awlaki would not have gotten away, if some type of provision had been in place. Although caught, Jihad Jane, also known as Colleen LaRose, is another example of an individual that relied on the Internet and social media to further her terrorist conspiracy.

Historically, the U.S. has fought wars based on the notion that land, air, and sea separated it from its adversaries. Furthermore, if it could control these areas, it had a competitive edge. Unfortunately, cyber does not fit into any of these regions. With the Web and technology continuing to develop, intelligence agencies are still struggling with how to classify cyber warfare.

As a result, Dodd told us that it would take a Congressional order to really get this issue addressed with the seriousness that it deserves. He also said that steps toward such an order are still in the Flinstones’ stages.

In the mean time, he recommends that consumers get educated on cyber warfare. In addition, he suggests that they call on their senators and representatives and encourage them to take action toward protecting against these cyber threats.

What do you think the U.S. should do to combat cyber warfare?

The Times Online was unable to get confirmation from security experts that massive DDoS attacks on Georgian websites had actually occurred, at least at the level of the attacks on Estonian systems last year. The best they could come up with was what one German expert called "low-level vandalism," and not evidence of "widescale, state-sanctioned electronic warfare."

At the time (July 25), the Georgian government also denied any extensive or prolonged damage—"not even for a minute." Today, official sites mod.gov.ge and president.gov.ge have been inaccessible for a considerably larger amount of time.

According to the Georgian Times, these (assumedly) same hackers have targeted Georgian news organizations as well, making it difficult to post new information online. Internet portal Georgia Online announced hackers had destroyed analytical resources, the entire Abkhazia government website, and databases and archives of other unnamed news sources.

One Blogspot blogger, who runs a blog with the purpose of tracking and reporting on the actions of a Russian organized cybercrime group called Russian Business Network, credits the same network with apparent attacks on government sites in conjunction with the physical war.

Google could not confirm Georgian government use of Blogger as an alternative channel to disseminate information, but several blogs devoted to Georgian causes and purported to be set up by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have popped up.

The assumed MFA author of GeorgiaMFA.blogspot.com, for example, has accused Russia of seriously disrupting several sites and recommends the Polish president’s site as an additional source of information.

There are several links to other Georgian sites hosted on Blogger as well, including RussiaAndGeorgiaAtWar, which provides eyewitness reports like this one:

Vasiko, 31 , Lawyer: I went to the Republican Clinic to see my friend Beka, who was transported from Gori. Time to time lots of ambulances were bringing in wounded soldiers. Seeing the vehicles the parents of the soldiers started crying and screaming. They were calling: "Name, tell the name?" Than everyone were getting quiet and were saying prayers:" Oh, God, let me see my son wounded but alive." And this was going on and on with each ambulance.

Another from a taxi driver compares Vladimir Putin to Satan, and calls on the US and Europe to stand up to "the Devil." Another blog, titled StateMinister and purporting to be another government replacement site, posts photos of the carnage, including killed Georgian citizens and burning buildings.

StopRussia.org is also offline.