经济学人133:网络战争 数字厄运

 　　“CYBER” sounds scary. Cyber-criminals can empty your bank account; cyberterrorists are the stuff of Hollywood thrillers¹. Cyber-espionage² involves stealing state secrets or intellectual property. You do not have to understand how computers work to be worried about the damage to you, your work or your country.

　　“网络”听起来很恐怖。网络罪犯能掏空你的银行帐户；网络恐怖分子是好莱坞惊悚片的常客；网络间谍会盗取国家机密或知识产权。就算你不懂电脑的工作原理，你也得担心它对你，对你的工作以及你的国家造成的伤害。

　　Yet businesses seeking to increase their sales, and officials and politicians who want more money and power, love tales of doom³ and gloom. Trade is booming for what some have dubbed⁴ the “cyber-industrial complex”. State agencies demand more power to fend⁵ off a dreadful attack by a foreign enemy—a kind of “digital Pearl Harbour”. Companies peddle⁶ security advice and software, often with a hefty price tag. The difficulty for the citizen and taxpayer⁷ is to decide: are people being too paranoid, or too complacent⁸?

　　然而，公司企业想要提高销售额，官员政客渴望增加金钱和权利，所以他们乐意听到黑暗和毁灭的故事。某些人口中所称的“网络工业综合体”销售额蒸蒸日上。国家机构需要更多的权力来抵御外来敌人的猛烈攻击，这算得上一场“数字珍珠港大战”。各公司纷纷叫卖安全建议和软件，通常要价不菲。公民和纳税人的难题在于判断：人民是太过紧张，还是太过安于现状？

　　网络.jpg

　　Two new books provide some useful perspective. “A Fierce Domain⁹” is a collection of essays edited by Jason Healey, a former cyber-policy chief in the Obama White House. His main point is that this is not a new problem: the first big cyber-attack dates back to 1986, when a bunch of German hackers¹⁰ in Hanover, working for the KGB, sneaked¹¹ into American military networks. Named “Cuckoo's Egg”, it was caught only because a sharp-eyed official noted¹² a tiny 75-cent billing error, revealing unauthorised use of a computer network.

　　两本新书提供了一些有益的视角。《服务域激战》是一本由奥巴马白宫前任网络政策主管杰森希雷编辑的论文集。他的主要论点在于阐述，这并不是一个新问题：第一场大型网络攻击可以追溯到1986年，当时一拨在汉诺威的德国黑客，受命于克伯格，偷潜入美国军事网络。行动代号为“杜鹃蛋”，它的败露仅仅是由于一名眼尖的官员，发现了一个区区75美分的帐目错误，因为恰恰是这个错误，暴露了曾有人未经授权使用了电脑网络。

　　Many more attacks have followed: Moonlight Maze¹³, Solar Sunrise, Titan Rain and Byzantine Hades. None is a household name, though from the gripping accounts in Mr Healey's book many readers will feel they all should be.

　　更多网络攻击接踵而至：“月光迷宫”，“太阳能日出”，“泰坦雨”还有“拜占庭偃角”。没有一次是家喻户晓的行动，但是希雷的书引人入胜地娓娓道来，让众多读者感到它们应该变得家喻户晓。

　　One especially damaging operation involved the theft of top-secret material from the most classified NATO networks. The attackers had used infected memory sticks, which were left lying around in car parks near sensitive buildings. Careless or thrifty¹⁴ officials picked them up, and some used them to copy material between classified computer networks and those connected to the internet. A clever bit of software then copied, encrypted, compressed and dispatched the material—probably, spooks think, to Moscow.

　　有一次行动破坏力尤其巨大，它包含从 NATO最高密级的网络中窃取最顶级的机密材料。黑客们利用已感染病毒的记忆棒，把它们撒放在敏感大楼旁边的车库地上。一些粗心或节俭的官员就会把它们拣起来，还有一些会用它们在加密电脑网和互联网之间拷贝资料。一小块智能软件兴许就此把资料复制、加密、压缩然后传送至莫斯科，想来就令人毛骨悚然。

　　Mr Healey's main message is to urge policymakers to be less secretive and more humble¹⁵. Too many past attacks remain classified. Officials continue to burble the same warnings and assurances as they did 20 years ago; the public is left in the dark.

　　希雷主要是想敦促政策制定者更加公开，更加谦卑。历史上太多网络攻击仍处于保密状态。而官员还是和20年前一样，空谈着同样的警告和保证，公众还是被蒙在鼓里。

　　Thomas Rid is a German-born academic, now at King's College London. He is one of Britain's leading authorities on, and sceptics about, cyber-warfare¹⁶. His provocatively¹⁷ titled book attacks the hype and mystique about sabotage¹⁸, espionage, subversion¹⁹ and other mischief²⁰ on the internet. He agrees that these present urgent security problems. But he dislikes talk of “warfare” and the militarisation of the debate about dangers in cyberspace²¹. Computer code can do lots of things, but it is not a weapon of war. He criticises the American air force for using a “lobbying gimmick” with talk of “cyber” as a fifth domain of warfare, after land, sea, air and space.

　　托马斯瑞德是一名出生于德国学者，现在在伦敦的国王学院。在网络战争方面，他是伦敦首席权威之一，也是怀疑者。他的书名颇具挑衅意味，书中抨击了关于破坏、间谍、颠覆以及其他网络恶行的炒作和神秘主义论调。他同意，这些确实代表了社会安全问题。但是他反感谈到“战争”，反感军事化地辩论网络空间里的威胁。电脑编码确实作用很大，但是它不是一项战争武器。他批评美国空军，因为他们把谈及“网络”的“游说手段”作为继陆、海、空、太空之后的第五战争领域。

　　However much the military brass²² may hype up the threat, states are in fact highly unlikely to use cyber-weapons against each other, Mr Rid argues. They are expensive to acquire, unreliable and fiddly. That does not mean they are useless. Malicious²³ code, “malware”, can do shocking damage, destroying machines, starting fires, spewing pollution or jamming communications. Cleverer weapons could be more dangerous still, such as malicious code that adapts to its environment, rewriting itself to evade²⁴ pursuers. They will be used, but as part of sabotage or terrorism rather than all-out war, he argues.

　　但是，瑞德称，不论军方要员如何炒作网络威胁，各国政府实际上几乎不可能使用网络武器互相攻击。网络武器成本高，可靠性低，且因太过精细而难以操作。这并不意味着网络武器就毫无用处。恶意编码，恶意软件的破坏力惊人，它们能够摧毁机器，点燃火灾，喷出污染物，还能阻塞通信。更智能的网络武器还会更危险，比如能适应环境的恶意编码，能够通过自动重新编写来避过追踪者。他表示，这些武器自有用处，但是是用在破坏行动和恐怖行动上，而不是用在全面战争上。

　　Both books leave the reader feeling gloomy. People worry too much about the wrong things, and not enough about the real problems. Digital weapons are growing more sophisticated; the response has been self-interested, slow and crude.

　　读完两本书，读者都会感到沮丧。人们总是在错误的事情上操碎了心，对问题的症结却不够关心。数字武器日趋复杂先进，应对之策却一直缓慢、粗糙且只是为了私利。

　　1.bank account n.银行存款

　　Around age 8, kids are old enough to have a real bank account.

　　在孩子8岁左右时，他已经完全可以拥有一个真正的银行帐户了。

　　If I was to just save money in the bank account, there is nothing exciting about it.

　　如果只是将钱存在户头里，那没什么可兴奋的。

　　2.seek to 设法；企图，试图

　　Is it something that you seek to do?

　　这是不是你寻求做的事情？

　　It doesn't say: "we seek to beat analysts²⁵ 'expectations every quarter."

　　上面并没有说：“我们致力于每个季度都超出分析师们的预期。”

　　3.fend off 挡开

　　Government leaders tried to fend off the criticism.

　　政府领导者也在尽力抵御这种批评。

　　Such policies do nothing to fend off currency-driven price competition from china or the rich world.

　　这类政策根本无法抵御来自中国或富裕国家的由汇率拉动的价格竞争。

　　4.date back to 追溯到

　　For a start, they date back to 1947.

　　首先，这些规定要追溯至1947年。

　　The arrangement will allow google to index and produce links to texts which date back to the 18th century.

　　该项协议将使google公司可以对这些最早能到18世纪的文献建立索引和链接。

1 thrillers   

n.紧张刺激的故事( thriller的名词复数 )；戏剧；令人感到兴奋的事；（电影）惊悚片

参考例句：

• He has written seven thrillers, and clearly enjoys intellectual pursuits. 他已经写了7本惊悚小说，显然很喜欢这样的智力活动。 来自辞典例句
• Most Americans prefer to read fast-moving adventure stories that we call "thrillers". 大部分美国人喜欢看我们称之为"惊险小说"的情节多变的冒险故事。 来自辞典例句

2 espionage   

n.间谍行为，谍报活动

参考例句：

• The authorities have arrested several people suspected of espionage.官方已经逮捕了几个涉嫌从事间谍活动的人。
• Neither was there any hint of espionage in Hanley's early life.汉利的早期生活也毫无进行间谍活动的迹象。

3 doom   

n.厄运，劫数；v.注定，命定

参考例句：

• The report on our economic situation is full of doom and gloom.这份关于我们经济状况的报告充满了令人绝望和沮丧的调子。
• The dictator met his doom after ten years of rule.独裁者统治了十年终于完蛋了。

4 dubbed   

v.给…起绰号( dub的过去式和过去分词 )；把…称为；配音；复制

参考例句：

• Mathematics was once dubbed the handmaiden of the sciences. 数学曾一度被视为各门科学的基础。
• Is the movie dubbed or does it have subtitles? 这部电影是配音的还是打字幕的？ 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 fend   

v.照料（自己），（自己）谋生，挡开，避开

参考例句：

• I've had to fend for myself since I was 14.我从十四岁时起就不得不照料自己。
• He raised his arm up to fend branches from his eyes.他举手将树枝从他眼前挡开。

6 peddle   

vt.(沿街)叫卖，兜售；宣传，散播

参考例句：

• She loves to peddle gossip round the village.她喜欢在村里到处说闲话。
• Street vendors peddle their goods along the sidewalk.街头摊贩沿著人行道兜售他们的商品。

7 taxpayer   

n.纳税人

参考例句：

• The new scheme will run off with a lot of the taxpayer's money.这项新计划将用去纳税人许多钱。
• The taxpayer are unfavourably disposed towards the recent tax increase.纳税者对最近的增加税收十分反感。

8 complacent   

adj.自满的；自鸣得意的

参考例句：

• We must not become complacent the moment we have some success.我们决不能一见成绩就自满起来。
• She was complacent about her achievements.她对自己的成绩沾沾自喜。

9 domain   

n.(活动等)领域，范围；领地，势力范围

参考例句：

• This information should be in the public domain.这一消息应该为公众所知。
• This question comes into the domain of philosophy.这一问题属于哲学范畴。

10 hackers   

n.计算机迷( hacker的名词复数 )；私自存取或篡改电脑资料者，电脑“黑客”

参考例句：

• They think of viruses that infect an organization from the outside.They envision hackers breaking into their information vaults. 他们考虑来自外部的感染公司的病毒，他们设想黑客侵入到信息宝库中。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Arranging a meeting with the hackers took weeks againoff-again email exchanges. 通过几星期电子邮件往来安排见面，他们最终同意了。 来自互联网

11 sneaked   

v.潜行( sneak的过去式和过去分词 )；偷偷溜走；（儿童向成人）打小报告；告状

参考例句：

• I sneaked up the stairs. 我蹑手蹑脚地上了楼。
• She sneaked a surreptitious glance at her watch. 她偷偷看了一眼手表。

12 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

13 maze   

n.迷宫，八阵图，混乱，迷惑

参考例句：

• He found his way through the complex maze of corridors.他穿过了迷宮一样的走廊。
• She was lost in the maze for several hours.一连几小时，她的头脑处于一片糊涂状态。

14 thrifty   

adj.节俭的；兴旺的；健壮的

参考例句：

• Except for smoking and drinking,he is a thrifty man.除了抽烟、喝酒，他是个生活节俭的人。
• She was a thrifty woman and managed to put aside some money every month.她是个很会持家的妇女，每月都设法存些钱。

15 humble   

adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低

参考例句：

• In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见，他将在选举中获胜。
• Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。

16 warfare   

n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突

参考例句：

• He addressed the audience on the subject of atomic warfare.他向听众演讲有关原子战争的问题。
• Their struggle consists mainly in peasant guerrilla warfare.他们的斗争主要是农民游击战。

17 provocatively   

参考例句：

• Democracy or dictatorship, the golden ships still hung in the sky and shone provocatively. 民主也好，独裁也罢，那些金晃晃的飞船依然高悬天际，闪熠发光，向我们挑衅。 来自英汉非文学 - 科幻

18 sabotage   

n.怠工，破坏活动，破坏；v.从事破坏活动，妨害，破坏

参考例句：

• They tried to sabotage my birthday party.他们企图破坏我的生日晚会。
• The fire at the factory was caused by sabotage.那家工厂的火灾是有人蓄意破坏引起的。

19 subversion   

n.颠覆，破坏

参考例句：

• He was arrested in parliament on charges of subversion for organizing the demonstration.他因组织示威活动在议会上被以颠覆破坏罪名逮捕。
• It had a cultural identity relatively immune to subversion from neighboring countries.它的文化同一性使它相对地不易被邻国所颠覆。

20 mischief   

n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹

参考例句：

• Nobody took notice of the mischief of the matter. 没有人注意到这件事情所带来的危害。
• He seems to intend mischief.看来他想捣蛋。

21 cyberspace   

n.虚拟信息空间，网络空间，计算机化世界

参考例句：

• She travels in cyberspace by sending messages to friends around the world.她利用电子空间给世界各地的朋友们发送信件。
• The teens spend more time in cyberspace than in the real world of friends and family.青少年花费在电脑上的时间比他们和真正的朋友及家人在一起的时间要多。

22 brass   

n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器

参考例句：

• Many of the workers play in the factory's brass band.许多工人都在工厂铜管乐队中演奏。
• Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc.黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。

23 malicious   

adj.有恶意的，心怀恶意的

参考例句：

• You ought to kick back at such malicious slander. 你应当反击这种恶毒的污蔑。
• Their talk was slightly malicious.他们的谈话有点儿心怀不轨。

24 evade   

vt.逃避，回避；避开，躲避

参考例句：

• He tried to evade the embarrassing question.他企图回避这令人难堪的问题。
• You are in charge of the job.How could you evade the issue?你是负责人，你怎么能对这个问题不置可否？

25 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。