Defend and Attack? – ICD Brief 80. » The International Cybersecurity Dialogue

ICD Brief 80.

26.03.2018.-01.04.2018.

Greetings from snowy New York. While millions celebrated the joyous feasts of Passover and Easter, a smaller number across the world maintained their focus on anticipation, deterrence, mitigation, and response to cyberthreats. Defend or Attack to deter? Politics and economics figure in the newest guidance in many of this week’s news from the US, Australia, China, France, Germany, Israel, Netherlands, Singapore, Spain and the UK.

Here is a sample:

USA

An Exclusive Look Behind the Scenes of the US Military’s Cyber Defense

“At U.S. Cyber Command, cyber protection teams defend the Pentagon’s networks from adversaries like Russia, China, North Korea and Iran, and fight thousands of non-state actors like terrorist groups and professional hackers. Special correspondent Mike Cerre got exclusive access to a new generation of cyber warriors.”

John Bolton, cyber warrior

“John Bolton has spent years imploring the U.S. to go on the attack in cyberspace — a stance that some digital warfare experts caution could set up the nation for a conflict it would be better off avoiding.”

With paper and phones, Atlanta struggles to recover from cyber attack

“Atlanta’s top officials holed up in their offices on Saturday as they worked to restore critical systems knocked out by a nine-day-old cyber attack that plunged the Southeastern U.S. metropolis into technological chaos and forced some city workers to revert to paper.” Baltimore: Ransomware Hobbled City’s Dispatch System

New York Offers Free Cybersecurity Tools to Public to Deter Hackers

“New York City will offer free cyber security tools to the public as part of a new effort to improve online safety, officials said on Thursday, a week after Atlanta was hit with a ransomware attack that knocked some municipal systems offline.”

Rep. MacCaul Highlights Need to Restructure DHS Cybersecurity Function

“U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) highlighted the need to reform U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD) on Wednesday.”

National Guard Cybersecurity Units Proposed by WA Congressman

“Representative Derek Kilmer, D-Wash., has proposed a new bill that would boost the National Guard’s role nationwide in combating the threat. It’s an area in which the Washington National Guard has long been a leader. Given the region’s military and tech talent, the National Guard in this state developed a specialized cybersecurity unit.”

Australia

Call for Uniform Platform to Boost Cybersecurity

“One of Australia’s star performers in defence security is calling for a uniform security platform for the Australian defence industry so that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can affordably become cyber-secure.”

Central and Eastern Europe

How Central and Eastern Europe Is Making Its Mark on the Global Tech Scene

“Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) is starting to make a name for itself as the region to watch for the latest technological innovation.”

China

China’s quantum satellite in big leap

“The term “spy satellite” has taken on a new meaning with the successful test of a novel Chinese spacecraft.

The mission can provide unbreakable secret communications channels, in principle, using the laws of quantum science.

Called Micius, the satellite is the first of its kind and was launched from the Gobi desert last August.

It is all part of a push towards a new kind of internet that would be far more secure than the one we use now.”

Chinese Cybersecurity Law: A Rising Threat

By: Edward McNicholas and Yuet Ming Tham

“Every day seems to bring another regulatory presence in cybersecurity, from the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) to the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). But with so much focus on these new U.S. and EU challenges, many companies may be missing the increasing global importance of the Cybersecurity Law of the People’s Republic of China (the Chinese cybersecurity law), which is already in effect. The Chinese cybersecurity law may pose particular compliance challenges because it approaches cybersecurity with a focus on the protection of the Chinese state in a way that may make supplying information technology to China or merely running a business in China much more complicated for global businesses.”

France

WITH ITS NEW ‘WHITE BOOK,’ FRANCE LOOKS TO BECOME A WORLD-CLASS PLAYER IN CYBER SPACE

By Boris Toucas

“On April 8, 2015, TV5 monde, an international French channel boasting 32 million viewers every week, was suddenly cut off air, with its websites eventually displaying banners advertising a so-called “Cyber Caliphate.” The channel had been the victim of a sophisticated cyber attack, stoking anxiety exactly four months after the Charlie Hebdo terrorist attacks. It turned out that the plot was a false flag sabotage operation conducted by APT28, a Russian group of hackers that would later get involved in the Democratic National Committee hack.”

Germany

Germany Commands Highest Cybersecurity Pay in Europe

“German cyber security professionals earn almost a fifth more than UK counterparts. Cyber security professionals in Germany have median base salaries on average 17 percent higher than in the UK according to Willis Towers Watson’s Cyber Pay survey. Contributor Tim Rees, UK Cyber Strategy Leader – Willis Towers Watson’s Risk Solutions business.”

Israel

Israel Blurs the Line Between Defense Apparatus and Local Cybersecurity Hub

“An evolving threat landscape and fast-rising salaries in the technology sector have propelled Israel into a new track in building its cyber-power.”

Netherlands

Dutch SME’s Cybersecurity Is Insufficient

“Nowhere in the Netherlands is digitisation as big as it is in small and medium-sized enterprises, but the sector still has a lot to do in terms of cyber security.”

Singapore

How Cyber Security Agency Is Protecting Singapore in the Changing Cyber Landscape

“At CyberTech Asia 2018, Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA)’s Deputy Chief Executive (Development) Mr Teo Chin Hock gave a keynote speech on the changing cyber landscape and how CSA is protecting the cyber space of Singapore.”

Spain

Mastermind behind EUR 1 Billion Cyber Bank Robbery Arrested in Spain

“Cybercrime syndicate infiltrated over 100 financial institutions in 40 countries. The leader of the crime gang behind the Carbanak and Cobalt malware attacks targeting over a 100 financial institutions worldwide has been arrested in Alicante, Spain, after a complex investigation conducted by the Spanish National Police, with the support of Europol, the US FBI, the Romanian, Moldovan, Belarussian and Taiwanese authorities and private cyber security companies.”

UK

UK Government Launches Cybersecurity Export Strategy – Focus on US, Japan, India

“The Department for International Trade predicts that exports for the UK’s cyber security market could reach £2.6 billion by 2021.”

UK Organisations Urged to Develop Cybersecurity Skills

“Managed cloud computing firm Rackspace is calling on UK organisations to do more to develop cyber security skills in the light of research into expertise in cloud security.”

Feature

More Ransomware: Part of a Larger Security Challenge

By Anthony Giandomenico CSO Online

[An excellent update on ransomware attacks; why they are occurring and what to do to keep attacks to a minimum.]

“Unless you’ve been entirely off the grid, you have probably heard that a number of high-profile organizations have recently been targeted by ransomware. It’s part of a growing trend that has the potential to impact large numbers of people, with potentially devastating consequences.”

The International Cybersecurity Dialogue

Building a cyber bridge

Defend and Attack? – ICD Brief 80.