In case a cyber-attack on another state-sponsored group was detected, the first step is to notify partners and federal agencies to increase their level of concern. This interagency approach is considered to be effective to support the government response (Pomerleau, 2015, June 10, para. 6). The coordination between the agencies leads to rapid actions and improves the outcomes of the reaction to the threat. More to the point, the incidents show that not only a cyber response but also military options and foreign policy can be used likewise in the case of China in 2014, when cyber espionage was revealed (Pomerleau, 2015, June 10, para. 13). Accordingly, the second step is to consider the available resources to utilize them for cyber defense, while it is also essential to anticipate various options for response.
The specific response to cyber-attacks towards another state-sponsored group should also include law enforcement tools. In particular, as stated by the director of the Institute for Law, Science and Global Security at Georgetown University, Catherine Lotrionte, a cross-domain strategy should be adopted in this case (Pomerleau, 2015, September 30, para. 13). Those who violate the domestic law should be prosecuted, and issue charges for those who disregard the agreements. To achieve the stated goal, it is assumed to encourage intelligence organizations to prepare for counterintelligence actions. In turn, Skopik (2017) adds that intelligence communities may be beneficial to detect and address cyber-attacks by exchanging cyber threat intelligence information (p. 272). Thus, the third step is to refer to intelligence communities and their data. It should be stated, however, that the norms of the response are still developing, while the US expresses its great commitment to responding to cyber-attacks.
References
Skopik, F. (2017). Collaborative cyber threat intelligence: Detecting and responding to advanced cyber-attacks at the national level. CRC Press.
Pomerleau, M. (2015). How might the US respond to cyber-attacks? Defense Systems. Web.
Pomerleau, M. (2015). Intelligence officials: Cyber domain is still the ‘Wild West’. Defense Systems. Web.