Massive Breach Spurs Cyber Security Fears

Making News

Unemployment Numbers Can't Dispel Gloom over the Economy ()

Yesterday's stock market collapse may have revealed a worldwide crisis of confidence in economic recovery. There was good news today, though: 117,000 new jobs last month and a drop in the unemployment rate from 9.2 percent to 9.1. In a brief address on veterans' employment, President Obama said once again, that's not enough. When Congress returns in September he wants to move quickly on more steps that "will make a difference." Neil Irwin is economics reporter for the Washington Post.

Guests:

• Neil Irwin: Washington Post, @Neil_Irwin

Main Topic

Cyberwarfare: Is the Best Defense a Good Offense? ()

Somebody has spent the past five years stealing corporate and government secrets in 14 countries, the biggest coordinated cyber attack discovered so far. One former presidential advisor says, "They're getting our research and development for pennies on the dollar." The most likely culprit is China. But it's not just a question of economics, it's a threat to national security. We hear about the operation now dubbed "Shady RAT," with at least 72 targets, including government agencies, corporations, the International Olympic Committee and the United Nations. What's already been lost? How vulnerable is the US?  Has the government appeared to be passive so far because we're doing it too?

Guests:

• Richard Clarke: Good Harbor Consulting
• Michael Joseph Gross: Vanity Fair
• Scott Borg: US Cyber Consequences Unit
• Michael Vatis: Steptoe & Johnson

Links:

• Clarke's 'Cyber War: The Next Threat to National Security and What to do About It'
• Gross on 'Shady Rat,' cyberwarfare
• US-CCU cyber security 'check list'

Reporter's Notebook

A Hiroshima Cover-Up? ()

It's been sixty-six years since the US dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Color footage taken after the devastation has now been declassified. But very few people have seen it. Greg Mitchell, who writes the MediaFix blog for The Nation, is author of the new print and e-book, Atomic Cover-Up: Two US Soldiers, Hiroshima & Nagasaki, and The Greatest Movie Never Made.

Guests:

• Greg Mitchell: author of 'Atomic Cover-Up', @GregMitch