Iran Cyber Threat Demands Reform of Counterproductive Cyber Regulations
While it is evident that the United States military is far more formidable than Iran’s, and that the Department of Defense possesses significantly more sophisticated cyber capabilities, that disparity does not extend to the cyber defenses of privately owned U.S. critical infrastructure when compared to nation-state attack methods — including those of Iran. In […]
A VIRTUAL CYBER ACADEMY: A GREAT FIT FOR THE NEW NATIONAL CYBER STRATEGY
The White House Director for Cybersecurity, Sean Cairncross, has already signaled that the upcoming new national strategy for cybersecurity will have workforce development as one of its key components. The Director has also indicated that the White House will look for input from the private sector as to how to implement the new plan. […]
The European Epiphany on Cybersecurity “We Are Losing –Massively”
Saul was on the road to Damascus when he fell to the ground, blinded by a heavenly light and realizing he finally knew the truth. Juhan Lepassaar, the executive director of the EU’s Agency for Cybersecurity may have just come to a similar insight In an AP article yesterday Lepassaar was quoted telling Politico. […]
ISA NATIONAL DEFENSE CYBER THREAT REPORT: THE ELECTRIC GRID
Chinese Hackers Have Infiltrated Our Grid American cybersecurity faces a significant and immediate challenge. Chinese state-sponsored hackers have embedded themselves in our critical electric utility infrastructure—positioning themselves to potentially disrupt both our economy and our operational national defense capability. In November, Politico quoted the Chief Information Security Officer of a major critical infrastructure company, stating, […]
ISA NATIONAL DEFENSE CYBER THREAT REPORT: GOVERNMENT PART 2
Our Government is Not Cyber-Secure Two weeks ago, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) confirmed it was suffering an ongoing hack perpetrated by Chinese state-backed agents. The attack potentially exposed CBO’s communications with lawmakers’ offices and access to cost estimates and analysis of legislation—information that could be of significant interest to foreign intelligence services tracking […]
ISA NATIONAL DEFENSE CYBER THREAT REPORT: WATER PART 2
The Navy can’t protect us from these attacks on the water. Chinese military strategists have long emphasized that the most effective way to weaken an adversary is to disrupt its critical infrastructure without firing a shot. The discovery that Volt Typhoon, a Chinese military cyber group, has successfully attacked and compromised access to American water […]
ISA NATIONAL DEFENSE CYBER THREAT REPORT: AGRICULTURE PART 2
Food is on the Front Line of Nation-State Cyber Attacks We Are Already Under Attack Agriculture is one of the nation’s most essential and least protected infrastructures. Rapid digitization of precision farming, automated processing, and just-in-time logistics has created an attack surface that has expanded far more quickly than cybersecurity investment. USDA officials […]
ISA: When Cyber Rules Can’t Prove They Work, They Become a Security Liability
Deterrence is arithmetic, not theater. In today’s hearing—“Defense through Offense: Examining U.S. Cyber Capabilities to Deter and Disrupt Malign Foreign Activity Targeting the Homeland”—Chairman Andy Ogles put it plainly: the United States must figure out how to change the cost-benefit analysis for our adversaries, because currently the math still works in their favor.1 The Internet […]
ISA NATIONAL DEFENSE CYBER THREAT REPORT:TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS PART 2
Our Transportation Infrastructure Is Already Compromised, Endangering National Security The People’s Republic of China has forecast its intent to move against Taiwan as early as 2027. Such a move creates extensive strategic concerns for the United States and could generate the need for a physical show of force. However, if, for example, the U.S. decided […]
ISA NATIONAL DEFENSE CYBER THREAT REPORT: INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PART 2
The Heart and Soul and Muscle of Cybersecurity: The IT Sector and Its People Before World War II, the United States viewed warfare as occurring in two primary domains: land, overseen by the Army, and sea, managed by the Navy. The attack on Pearl Harbor revealed a third essential domain—the air—forcing the U.S. to rethink […]