July 31, 2018

Cyber (In)Security: Decision-Making Dynamics When Moving Out of Your Comfort Zone

This paper focuses on how the dynamic speed of change and the compression of time in cybersecurity move individuals and organizations out of their comfort zones. This often results in forcing faulty decision-making generated by an enhanced dependence on untested assumptions. The counterbalance to this behavior begins by recognizing a key truism: within every decision lies an assumption. Equipping your cyber team with the mechanisms and tools to identify and properly challenge these assumptions drives better decision-making and new opportunities to successfully defend, attack, and adapt in the cyber battleground.

July 31, 2018

Countering the Cyber Threat

The current path to national cybersecurity hides a fatal design flaw. Resident within the current national approach is the assumption that we can continue business as usual with limited sharing between the public and the private sector, the creation of information sharing and analysis centers, the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center, and a range of ad hoc local, state and federal organizations each addressing a slice of a complex and highly interconnected environment. The result is a lack of integrated coordination, continued hacks, and a public increasingly weary of all things cyber. We are approaching the current challenge as if we are living in August of 2001, ignorant and oblivious to the tragedies just over the horizon. All the while the private sector treats each incident in isolation, highly focused on their slice of a broader digital ecosystem.

July 31, 2018

Combatting the Rise of ISIS 2.0 and Terrorism 3.0

In the early 1990s, a then-nascent al-Qaeda took steps to redefine both the nature of conflict and the nature of ideological foundations for waging war. The United States military deployment to the Middle East following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait drove Osama bin Laden to deviate from both defined Islamic theology and fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) and take a more ‘guerilla’ approach to combating what he saw as US aggression. Bin Laden deviated from both religion and traditional conventions of war to declare US Troops, supporting contractors, Arab troops, and even fellow Muslims and non-combatant villagers as enemies of al-Qaeda—should they prove to be obstacles to al-Qaeda’s goals of regional control and hegemony.

July 31, 2018

Clear Thinking About Protecting the Nation in the Cyber Domain*

The key systems and networks that are colloquially referred to as cyberspace constitute a set of critical assets that enable communication, promote economic growth and prosperity, advance the cause of freedom globally, and help ensure US national security and that of our allies. At the same time, cyberspace has become a digital battleground where nation-states and their proxies, organized criminal groups, terrorists, hacktivists, and others seek to gain an advantage over one another, whether through surveillance and espionage, criminal activity, recruitment, planning, and incitement to attacks, and the repression of free speech and expression.

July 31, 2018

Bridging the Cyber-Analysis Gap: The Democratization of Data Science

The challenges of ever growing and ever changing Big Data are broad and far-reaching, particularly in the cyber-defense domain. The task of analyzing and making sense of this data is difficult, and only getting worse. We propose that by democratizing data science and making it accessible to everyone, we can expand the breadth and depth of analytics available to a point where we can potentially meet the challenges of Big Data.

July 31, 2018

Book Review: Black Code: Surveillance, Privacy, and the Dark Side of the Internet

Dr. Ronald J. Deibert’s book Black Code: Surveillance, Privacy, and the Dark Side of the Internet addresses growing concerns regarding international cyber threats and argues against current countries’ methods of responding to these threats. Deibert presents a solid, well-rounded argument, with intriguing evidence to support his assertions regarding our flawed cybersecurity environment, and closes Black Code with personal recommendations to secure and regulate the cyberspace domain. Readers receive a broad spectrum analysis of cyberspace and cybersecurity and are provided specific information on the actions and interactions of hackers, international governments, and related cyber industries. Black Code reads like a cyber novel; brilliantly crafted with a strong foundation and argument against current cybersecurity techniques and practices. Dr. Deibert is Professor of Political Science, and Director of the Citizen Lab at the Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto. The Citizen Lab is described as “an interdisciplinary research and development laboratory working at the intersection of the digital technologies, global security, and human rights.”

July 31, 2018

Anonymous’ Cyberwar Against ISIS and the Asymmetrical Nature of Cyber Conflicts

Warfare in the physical world, both asymmetrical and conventional, has occurred throughout history. However, war in cyberspace is a more recent phenomenon, and there is still much to be explored and understood. Because cyberspace is inherently asymmetric, many lessons learned from asymmetric warfare in the physical world also apply to cyber conflicts. This article will examine the online battle waged by Anonymous against ISIS and analyze five asymmetrical characteristics of cyber conflicts: the vulnerability of conventionally-powerful actors to attacks from relatively weaker adversaries, the unconventional nature of offensive tactics, the low level of intensity of those tactics, the ability of actors to organize and aggressively operate in an extremely decentralized manner, and the strategic goal of breaking willpower or forcing a change of policy. Understanding the asymmetrical nature of cyber conflicts and applying appropriate lessons learned will lead to a more effective defensive posture against cyber-aggressors and facilitate a more secure operating environment in cyberspace.

July 31, 2018

An Airman’s View on Deterrence and Cyberspace

Deterrence, military strategy, and national power are taught at all our United States service academies. As a military officer, you will repeatedly study these subjects as you mature and grow into more senior positions. In this article, I would like to share with you my thoughts on deterrence, and what we have been doing to improve our ability in the Air Force to fly, fight and win–in, thru, and from cyberspace.

July 18, 2018

Thinking Outside-the-Box for Cyber Defense: Introducing an Innovation Framework for the 21st Century

ABSTRACTInnovation is critical to improving society and is key to the cyber domain. The rapid growth of the internet has meant that tools for operating in cyberspace have constantly evolved. It has often been said, however, that the only innovation taking place in cyber warfare is in offensive operations. So where is the innovation for the defense?

Feb. 26, 2018

Virtual Currency in a Cashless Society: A Potential Window into Economic Cyberwarfare

Science and technology have been an enormous part of America’s economic success since its formation. In the modern age, innovation lends itself to cyberspace, and more specifically, to financial technology (fintech). Global trade and investment are now increasingly tied to nation-state actors, with fintech playing a massive role in this connection