Much has been in the news lately about Chinese hackers who have wreaked havoc on the Pentagon web site and various U.S. government pages.

Apparently Chinese hackers are responsible for a number of attacks on U.S. government sites. But instead of being sponsored by the Chinese government, they operate independently and out of a sense of national pride. To them, hacking into U.S. sites is how they can do their part to take on the American enemy.    In addition to the government, corporations, who would be similar targets for attacks, need to get their cybersecurity in order. And this presidential campaign, which has made the Internet a central hub for fundraising and the dissemination of information, makes American web sites a prime target.

The fact that these hackers are acting independently makes them more dangerous, I believe, than if they were Chinese government surrogates. They will likely be more brazen, more willing to take on higher-level targets, and difficult to locate.

The hacking looks like it’s accelerating into a full-fledged cyber war. Recently a few e-Minutemen are taking the fight back to the Chinese. This should be fun to watch. More so than another dry 16 days of Olympics coming soon to Beijing.