Category: national security policy

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Is 85% of US Critical Infrastructure in Private Hands?

Posted on By infossl
cybersecurity, infrastructure, national security policy, Security technology, Uncategorized

Most US critical infrastructure is run by private corporations. This has major security implications, because it’s putting a random power company in — say — Ohio — up against the Russian cybercommand, which isn’t a fair fight. When this problem is discussed, people regularly quote the statistic that 85% of US critical infrastructure is in … Read More “Is 85% of US Critical Infrastructure in Private Hands?” »

New US Executive Order on Cybersecurity

Posted on By infossl
cybersecurity, national security policy, security standards, Security technology, Uncategorized

President Biden signed an executive order to improve government cybersecurity, setting new security standards for software sold to the federal government. For the first time, the United States will require all software purchased by the federal government to meet, within six months, a series of new cybersecurity standards. Although the companies would have to “self-certify,” … Read More “New US Executive Order on Cybersecurity” »

Biden Administration Imposes Sanctions on Russia for SolarWinds

Posted on By infossl
cyberespionage, espionage, hacking, national security policy, russia, Security technology, Uncategorized

On April 15, the Biden administration both formally attributed the SolarWinds espionage campaign to the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), and imposed a series of sanctions designed to punish the country for the attack and deter future attacks. I will leave it to those with experience in foreign relations to convince me that the response … Read More “Biden Administration Imposes Sanctions on Russia for SolarWinds” »

DNI’s Annual Threat Assessment

Posted on By infossl
cybersecurity, national security policy, Security technology, supply chain, threat models, Uncategorized

The office of the Director of National Intelligence released its “Annual Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community.” Cybersecurity is covered on pages 20-21. Nothing surprising: Cyber threats from nation states and their surrogates will remain acute. States’ increasing use of cyber operations as a tool of national power, including increasing use by militaries around … Read More “DNI’s Annual Threat Assessment” »

Hacking Weapons Systems

Posted on By infossl
cyberattack, cyberweapons, hacking, infrastructure, military, national security policy, Security technology, Uncategorized, weapons

Lukasz Olejnik has a good essay on hacking weapons systems. Basically, there is no reason to believe that software in weapons systems is any more vulnerability free than any other software. So now the question is whether the software can be accessed over the Internet. Increasingly, it is. This is likely to become a bigger … Read More “Hacking Weapons Systems” »

National Security Risks of Late-Stage Capitalism

Posted on By infossl
china, cybersecurity, essays, hacking, national security policy, russia, Security technology, Uncategorized

Early in 2020, cyberspace attackers apparently working for the Russian government compromised a piece of widely used network management software made by a company called SolarWinds. The hack gave the attackers access to the computer networks of some 18,000 of SolarWinds’s customers, including US government agencies such as the Homeland Security Department and State Department, … Read More “National Security Risks of Late-Stage Capitalism” »

On Chinese-Owned Technology Platforms

Posted on By infossl
china, national security policy, reports, Security technology, threat models, Uncategorized

I am a co-author on a report published by the Hoover Institution: “Chinese Technology Platforms Operating in the United States.” From a blog post: The report suggests a comprehensive framework for understanding and assessing the risks posed by Chinese technology platforms in the United States and developing tailored responses. It starts from the common view … Read More “On Chinese-Owned Technology Platforms” »

GPS Vulnerabilities

Posted on By infossl
cybersecurity, gps, infrastructure, national security policy, Security technology, Uncategorized

Really good op-ed in the New York Times about how vulnerable the GPS system is to interference, spoofing, and jamming — and potential alternatives. The 2018 National Defense Authorization Act included funding for the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security and Transportation to jointly conduct demonstrations of various alternatives to GPS, which were concluded last March. … Read More “GPS Vulnerabilities” »

Chinese Supply-Chain Attack on Computer Systems

Posted on By infossl
backdoors, china, cybersecurity, fbi, fisa, intelligence, Internet of Things, national security policy, reports, Security technology, supply chain, Uncategorized

Bloomberg News has a major story about the Chinese hacking computer motherboards made by Supermicro, Levono, and others. It’s been going on since at least 2008. The US government has known about it for almost as long, and has tried to keep the attack secret: China’s exploitation of products made by Supermicro, as the U.S. … Read More “Chinese Supply-Chain Attack on Computer Systems” »