A panopticon-inspired prison. Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons. Introduction The world is on the cusp of a fourth industrial revolution.[i] This revolution is driven by the increased connectivity, reactivity, and converging nature of modern technologies. It is enabled by constant data-streams analyzed through ultramodern techniques, which allow vendors to immediately integrate analysis into product and service … Continue reading The Polyopticon: Data Gathering and State Technopower
Category: Intelligence
Vulnerabilities Equities Process Revisited
Shadowy cyber figure. Photo Credit: Getty Images. By: Daniel Zhang, Columnist Publicly released in 2017 under the Trump administration, the Vulnerabilities Equities Process (VEP) is an interagency framework used to determine whether the United States government should withhold or disclose zero-day vulnerabilities - unpatched software or hardware vulnerabilities often exploited by criminals, militaries, or governments … Continue reading Vulnerabilities Equities Process Revisited
Estonia’s Cybersphere as an Asset and a Vulnerability
Photo Credit: https://e-estonia.com/ By: Nikolai F. Rice Estonia’s e-governance regularly pushes the boundaries of cyber-administration. Roughly three-quarters the territory of West Virginia and a population just smaller than Maine, Estonia’s size plays to its cyber-administrative advantage.[i] The nation manages it taxes, elections, and healthcare administration almost entirely online.[ii] The unfortunate byproduct of Estonia’s rapid cyber development … Continue reading Estonia’s Cybersphere as an Asset and a Vulnerability
Encouraging Cross-Border Data Flows Can Enable the U.S. to Maintain its Edge in AI
Global Connections (World map texture credits to NASA) Photo Credit: Getty Images. By: Diane Pinto, Columnist When it comes to artificial intelligence as with other commercial and military tools, it is strategically best for U.S. interests for the U.S. to remain at the forefront. So, when reports come out that China could overtake the U.S. … Continue reading Encouraging Cross-Border Data Flows Can Enable the U.S. to Maintain its Edge in AI
An American National Information Security Strategy
Photo Credit: iStock By: Kevin Truitte, Columnist In today’s Digital Age, information is a potent weapon. American adversaries such as Russia and China understand the power of information and seek to manipulate it to their advantage. From injecting or magnifying divisive messages in social media to penetrating government networks to steal employee information, they understand … Continue reading An American National Information Security Strategy
Hacker Militias or Cyber Command? The U.S. and Russian Institutionalization of Cyber Warfare
Russia’s reliance on proxy “hackers-for-hire” to accomplish strategic objectives have led some to question why Russia has yet to institutionalize its cyber workforce into its military. However, instead of creating its own "Cyber Command," Russia’s reliance on the hacker network for talent maximizes the country’s deniability in cyber operations (plausible or not), while remaining low-cost. … Continue reading Hacker Militias or Cyber Command? The U.S. and Russian Institutionalization of Cyber Warfare
AI and National Security: Is the United States Doing Enough?
By: Roxanne Heston Photo Credit: Getty Images In recent years, the field of artificial intelligence (AI), a broad term used to discuss computer programs that can perform typically human functions, has emerged as a leading issue in the national security community. Newly piqued interest has prompted a flurry of activity on the topic, including a … Continue reading AI and National Security: Is the United States Doing Enough?
Kalaris Intelligence Conference 2018: The Art and Science of Intelligence
Director of NGA Robert Cardillo and CBS National Security Correspondent David Martin open the Kalaris Conference with a conversation on the NGA and intelligence. Photo Credit: NGA By: Martina Hukel On September 27, government representatives, private sector professionals, students, and professors gathered in Georgetown’s Gaston Hall for the 5th Annual George T. Kalaris Conference hosted … Continue reading Kalaris Intelligence Conference 2018: The Art and Science of Intelligence
Unchained: The Department of Defense’s Aggressive New Cyber Strategy
By: Benjamin Carsman, Columnist Photo Credit: DoD News On September 18, the US Department of Defense released a ten-page unclassified summary of its 2018 Cyber Strategy.[i] While substantially different in many regards from the 2015 Cyber Strategy released by the Obama Administration,[ii] two aspects in particular merit attention. First, the strategy recognizes day-to-day competition in … Continue reading Unchained: The Department of Defense’s Aggressive New Cyber Strategy
Maintaining Europol Security Ties After Brexit
By Antonia Ward, Columnist Photo: Getty Images Brexit has dominated European politics since the announcement of Britain’s 2016 referendum to leave the European Union (EU). Security remains a crucial and complex consideration in these discussions. If Britain relinquishes its membership in Europol – the EU’s law enforcement agency which handles criminal intelligence – it … Continue reading Maintaining Europol Security Ties After Brexit