Is the cyber threat overblown?

Source: Stephen M. Walt, Foreign Policy

Am I the only person — well, besides Glenn Greenwald and Kevin Poulson — who thinks the “cyber-warfare” business may be overblown? It’s clear the U.S. national security establishment is paying a lot more attention to the issue, and colleagues of mine — including some pretty serious and level-headed people — are increasingly worried by the danger of some sort of “cyber-Katrina.” I don’t dismiss it entirely, but this sure looks to me like a classic opportunity for threat-inflation.

Mind you, I’m not saying that there aren’t a lot of shenanigans going on in cyber-space, or that various forms of cyber-warfare don’t have military potential. So I’m not arguing for complete head-in-the-sand complacency. But here’s what makes me worry that the threat is being overstated.