Transatlantic Dimensions of Cyber Security

It’s already begun, but if you’ve got a few minutes today you can tune in to CSIS’s cyber conference, entitled “Transatlantic Dimensions of Cyber Security.” You can view the agenda here.

Nye on Cyber War and Peace

Harvard’s Joseph Nye has a piece at the ISN Blog entitled “Cyber War and Peace,” discussing the potential threats the world faces from bad actors utilizing digital means to accomplish their goals. From his post:

Cyber war, though only incipient at this stage, is the most dramatic of the potential threats. Major states with elaborate technical and human resources could, in principle, create massive disruption and physical destruction through cyber attacks on military and civilian targets. Responses to cyber war include a form of interstate deterrence through denial and entanglement, offensive capabilities, and designs for rapid network and infrastructure recovery if deterrence fails. At some point, it may be possible to reinforce these steps with certain rudimentary norms and arms control, but the world is at an early stage in this process.

Legal Challenges to Advancing Cybersecurity

Georgetown University’s Institute for Law, Science, and Global Security hosted a discussion this morning between the Institute’s Director, Dr. Catherine Lotrionte, and US Cyber Command’s Legal Counsel, Col. Gary Brown*, on the topic of “Legal Challenges to Advancing Cybersecurity.” The purpose of the discussion was to highlight some of the lessons learned from a conference held last year on the same topic, in which policymakers and other leaders in cyber attempted to tackle the legal complexities of cybersecurity.

Heritage Event on Cyber Threats

The Heritage Foundation held an event this morning on cyber threats, with particular attention paid to House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers’ bill, HR 3523 - the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act of 2011.

ACUS Event on the First Military Cyber Units

Talk to the average person, and they might tell you U.S. Cyber Command is the first real effort the US military has made at addressing cyberspace. The Atlantic Council’s event yesterday, entitled “Lessons From Our Cyber Past: The First Military Cyber Units,” dispelled that myth, and revealed some insights into how exactly the US has been approaching the very real threats posed by our adversaries in the online realm.

Speaking at the event were the leaders of these first forays into cyber: Col. Walter “Dusty” Rhoads, USAF (Ret.), who was the Founding Commander of the 609^th Information Warfare Squadron; Lt. Gen. John H. “Soup” Campbell, USAF (Ret.), who was the Founding Commander of Joint Task Force – Computer Network Defense; and Maj. Gen. James D. Bryan, US Army (Ret.), who was the Founding Commander of Joint Task Force, Computer Network Operations. The Atlantic Council’s Jason Healey moderated the event.

ACUS Event on NATO’s Role in Cybersecurity

Earlier today, the Atlantic Council hosted a panel discussion on NATO’s developing role in cyber defense and security. Participants included IBM’s NATO and European Defence Leader Leendert Van Bochoven, IBM’s Vice President Security Counsel & Chief Privacy Officer Harriet P. Pearson, and the Director of the Atlantic Council’s Cyber Statecraft Initiative, Jason Healey. Barry Pavel, the Director-Designate and Arnold Kanter Chair of the Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security at the Atlantic Council, moderated the event.

On Israel and Iran

I stumbled across an interesting piece by David Horovitz from The Times of Israel on the potential for an Israeli strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities. The article discusses, among other subjects, the spate of news stories that with near certainty predict Israeli military action before the year is out. I suggest you read the entire piece, but here’s a quick preview:

This narrative is dramatic and compelling, and appears to be supported by the Osirak and Syria precedents. And yet, there is an alternative reading that is compelling too — a narrative that suggests the US and Israel are rather closer together than some articles, sound bites and senatorial statements have suggested, and that the notion of a supposed Osirak-Syria precedent should not be overstated.

This is a bit outside the purview of the blog, but Stuxnet is referenced, so I’m calling it fair game.

A Conversation on Cyber Security

George Washington University’s Homeland Security Policy Institute hosted “A Conversation on Cyber Security Legislation,” this morning. The participants included Adm. Mike McConnell, former Director of National Intelligence, Michael Chertoff, former Director of the Department of Homeland Security, Tommy Ross from the Senate Office of Majority Leader, Jeffrey Ratner from the Homeland Security Governmental Affairs Committee (Majority), Nick Rossi from the same committee (Minority), Tom Corcoran from the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and Kevin Gronberg from the House Committee on Homeland Security.

Two Great Cybersecurity Events This Week (2/20-2/24)

If you’re in Washington DC this Wednesday, you’ll have to endure the agony of choice between two great cybersecurity panels.

George Washington University’s Homeland Security Policy Institute will be hosting roundtable discussion on pending cybersecurity legislation, with former Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell, former Department of Homeland Security Director Michael Chertoff, and senior congressional staff. The event begins at 10:30 in the Jack Morton Auditorium, 805 21st Street, NW. See this link for more information.

And the Bipartisan Policy Center will be hosting an event at the same time on how best to forge public-private partnerships for cybersecurity, with a focus on policies put forth by the FCC. That discussion will include former Assistant Secretary for Policy at DHS, Stewart Baker; Director of Risk Management Information Security at CenturyLink, Michael Glenn; President of the internet intelligence firm Renesys, Andy Ogielski; and Assistant Secretary of the Office of Cybersecurity and Communications at DHS, Greg Schaffer. This event will be held at 1225 Eye St. NW, Suite 1000. See the link for more details.

Gen. Cartwright on Recent Developments in Cyberwarfare

Yesterday, the Hudson Institute hosted a discussion between Harold Furchtgott-Roth and Gen. James Cartwright (USMC, ret.) entitled “Recent Developments in Cyber Warfare.” Cartwright served as Commander, U.S. Strategic Command, and later as Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He is currently the Harold Brown Chair in Defense Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

Cartwright began his discussion by noting that the underlying assumptions about how the Department of Defense (DOD) views cyber and has organized itself in that respect are not well understood, and that he wanted to rectify some of those misconceptions.