North Korea may be counterfeiting US currency, developing nukes, and selling missiles to rogue states, but one area where America need not worry about Pyongyang is in cyber warfare, according to Lt. Gen. Robert Elder, 8th Air Force boss and head of USAF’s efforts to build a Cyber Command. Elder told defense reporters in Washington yesterday: ”Any country you can think of as a potential adversary is scanning our networks, [that is] everyone but North Korea. We’ve concluded there must be only one laptop in all of North Korea and that guy’s not allowed to scan,” Elder said with tongue in cheek. He added, “I’m serious: For all the things you see about North Korea, that’s one thing [not to worry about]; they don’t pose a cyber threat.”
The Air Force has embraced new technical approaches like open mission systems and rapid software updates for cutting-edge aircraft like the B-21 and Collaborative Combat Aircraft. Increasingly, though, the service is also working to apply these to its older, “legacy” aircraft, officials said this week.