2016 Payment Threats Trends Report

"2016 Payment Threats Trends Report", Report by the European Payments Council, 20 March 2017, 41 pages. "The present document aims to provide an insight in the latest developments during the last years on threats affecting payments, including cybercrime".

Note de recherche IRSEM sur les Global Commons

"Les Global Commons: retour sur l'itinéraire d'un concept stratégique américain (2009-2011)" par J.L. Samaan, IRSEM, Note de recherche n°35, mars 2017, 7 pages. 

US DOD - Request for additional FY 2017 Appropriations

US DOD - Request for additional FY 2017 Appropriations - Budget request - March 16, 2017, 36 pages. In this document, the Department of Defense (DoD) is submitting a request for additional Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 appropriations. Among several lines, complementary funding is requested for cyber investments: information warfare, cyber security, new C4I (at Naval Computer and Telecommunications Area Master Station Atlantic building in Norfolk, Virginia),  ISR and cyber infrastructure at the Air Force, Weapons system cyber resiliency, Cyber operations technology, etc. 

Chinese Efforts in Quantum Information Science: Drivers, Milestones, and Strategic Implications

"Chinese Efforts in Quantum Information Science: Drivers, Milestones, and Strategic Implications", Testimony for the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, March 16th, 2017, John Costello. 

Matinée nationale d'information Horizon 2020 sur les infrastructures critiques et la sécurité

Matinée nationale d'information Horizon 2020 sur les infrastructures critiques et la sécurité. Paris, 10 mai 2017. Cadre: défi 7 "sociétés sûres", programme Horizon 2020. Programme, inscription... 

Séminaire "communication en milieu désorganisé" - ISCC

Le prochain séminaire "communication en milieu désorganisé" aura lieu le mardi 25 avril 2017 (et non le 11 avril comme il avait été initialement annoncé). Il se tiendra de 16 h-18 h à l'ISCC-CNRS / Paris-Sorbonne / UPMC - 20 rue Berbier-du-Mets, 75013 Paris. Le thème de cette séance sera : Risques et catastrophes : enjeux culturels et interculturels. 

Le séminaire accueillera Benjamin Pelletier, formateur en management interculturel, maître de conférences honorifique à l'Ecole des Ponts et Chaussées. Auteur de plusieurs récits littéraires, dont le dernier, Toujours plus à l'est, est paru en 2016 aux éditions Picquier.

"Iran Sanctions" by Kenneth Katzman

"Iran Sanctions" by Kenneth Katzman, March 31, 2017, Congressional Research Service, RS20871, 89 pages, Washington. "This report analyzes U.S. and international sanctions against Iran and provides some examples, based on open sources, of companies and countries that conduct business with Iran". 

Concerning "cyber" issues, read: 

- "Expanding Internet and Communications Freedoms" (p.30-31)

- "Iranians Sanctioned Under September 29, 2010, Executive Order 13553 on Human Rights Abusers"  (p.81)

- "Iranian Entities Sanctioned Under Executive Order 13606 (GHRAVITY)" (p.82)

- "Entities Designated as Human Rights Abusers or Limiting Free Expression Under Executive Order 13628 (Executive Order pursuant to Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act)" (p.83).  

3 rd French-Japanese meeting on Cybersecurity

"3 rd French-Japanese meeting on Cybersecurity", 24th - 26th April 2017, Tōkyō. 

Cyber-Social-Physical Features for Mood Prediction over Online Social Networks

"Cyber-Social-Physical Features for Mood Prediction over Online Social Networks", article by Chaima Dhahri, Kazunori Matsumoto, Keiichiro Hoashi, DEIM Forum 2017, 6 pages. 

Abstract : Context-Aware Recommendation Systems (CARS) are more effective when adapting their recommendations to a specific user preference. Since modal context (mood) has a direct impact on user preferences, we aim at having an accurate mood prediction to improve recommendation performance. Online social networks (OSNs) have grown rapidly over the last decade. These social platforms provide the opportunity to gather the distributed online activities for each user. Tracking and aggregating these data could result in useful insights for user modeling and understanding. In this paper, we built a personalized system that can predict the upcoming user mood even in days without text-type tweets. We, first, studied the correlation of three types of features (cyber, social and physical) with a user mood. Then, used these features to train a predictive system. The results suggest a statistically significant correlation between user mood and his cyber, social and physical activities distributed among different OSNs which leads to a low RMSE in our predictive system.  

Attack Classification Schema for Smart City WSNs

"Attack Classification Schema for Smart City WSNs", article by Victor Garcia-Font, Carles Garrigues and Helena Rifà-Pous, Sensors 2017, 17, 771; doi:10.3390/s17040771, 

In this article, the authors propose a schema to classify the evidence left by attacks against smart city WSNs into seven different attack models. 

Donald Trump intends to extend by one year the Executive Order 13694

"President Donald Trump is going to extend by one year the Executive Order 13694", post du blog SecurityAffairs, March 30, 2017

Interpol - "Cybercriminalité"

Interpol - "Cybercriminalité" - 2017 - Brochure de 12 pages. 

Dans ce document Interpol distingue deux catégories de criminalité liées aux TIC: la cybercriminalité et la criminalité facilitée par Internet. 

On peut y lire également que "jusqu’à présent, la cybercriminalité était principalement le fait d’individus ou de petits groupes. Aujourd’hui, INTERPOL constate l’apparition de réseaux de cybercriminalité d’une grande complexité qui réunissent, en temps réel, des individus de tous pays pour perpétrer des infractions d’une ampleur sans précédent."  Vraiment? Le cybercrime n'est-il pas organisé en gros réseaux d'assez longue date? Ne parlait-on pas du cybercrime organisé russe et chinois il y a dix ans déjà? Les hackers n'ont-ils pas une tradition de coopération internationale depuis bien des années?  

Sajda Qureshi "The forgotten awaken: ICT’s evolving role in the roots of mass discontent"

Sajda Qureshi, "The forgotten awaken: ICT’s evolving role in the roots of mass discontent", Information Technology for Development, 2017, Vol.23, n°1, pp.1-17. Full text...

About "key terrain" in cyberspace

Applegate, Scott Douglas, Christopher L. Carpenter, and David C. West. “Searching for Digital Hilltops: A Doctrinal Approach to Identifying Key Terrain in Cyberspace.” Joint Force Quarterly, no. 84 (1st Quarter 2017): 18-23. 

The proposed definition of "key terrain'" is : "Any locality, or area, the seizure or retention of which affords a marked advantage to either combatant". According to the author of this article, the "key terrain" is different from the notion of "critical asset", defined as "a spacific entity that is of such extraordinary importance that its incapacitation or destruction would have a very serious, debilitating effect on the ability of a nation to continue to function effectively". 

Full text... 

Thomas Rid, Hearing on Disinformation: A Primer in Russian Active Measures and Influence Campaigns"

Thomas Rid, Hearing on "Disinformation: A Primer in Russian Active Measures and Influence Campaigns", US Senate, March 30th, 2017.

Prepared Statement of GEN (Ret) Keith B. Alexander on Disinformation: A Primer in Russian Active Measures and Influence Campaigns

Opening speach.

Disinformation: A Primer in Russian Active Measures and Influence Campaigns

Hearing: "Disinformation: A Primer in Russian Active Measures and Influence Campaigns", US Senate, March 30th, 2017. 

Witnesses:

Panel I

Eugene Rumer, Director of Russia and Eurasia Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He previously served as the National Intelligence Officer for Russia and Eurasia from 2010-2014.

Roy Godson, Professor of Government Emeritus at Georgetown University. From 1993-2015, he also served as President of the National Strategy Information Center.

Clint Watts, Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy Research Institute Program on National Security

*Other witnesses may be added

Panel II:

Kevin Mandia, Chief Executive Officer, FireEye

General (Ret.) Keith Alexander, Chief Executive Officer and President, IronNet Cybersecurity.  He previously served as Director of the National Security Agency and Chief of the Central Security Service.

Hearing on The Promises and Perils of Emerging Technologies for Cybersecurity

Hearing on The Promises and Perils of Emerging Technologies for Cybersecurity, EPIC Letter to US Senate, March 22, 2017

A Borderless Battle: Defending Against Cyber Threats - by GEN (Ret) Keith B. Alexander

"A Borderless Battle: Defending Against Cyber Threats" - by GEN (Ret) Keith B. Alexander, Statement before the United States House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security,  March 22, 2017, 8 pages. 

Cyber Security : job opportunities

* PRI is seeking an individual with expertise in corporate cyber security policies and practices to undertake data analysis and a summary report of findings and recommendations for engagement on behalf of the Principles for Responsible Investment. Detailed Information. Deadline for application: April 7, 2017

* NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence, Internship opportunity in Public Relations in Spring 2017. Detailed Information. Deadline for application: April 3, 2017

Etats-Unis: projet de budget 2018 et place de la cybersécurité

Le 16 mars 2017 l'administration Trump a publié un budget prévisionnel 2018, qui donne déjà une idée des grandes lignes de dépenses (et d'économies) pour les mois à venir. 

Le projet procède par réductions, coupes dans le financement de quantité de programmes et organismes jugés trop peu efficaces ou comme ne devant pas relever des budgets de l'administration. Pratiquement tous les ministères sont touchés par ces mesures, sauf le Département de la Défense. La cybersécurité est l'un des axes qui bénéficiera de budgets conséquents, mais elle n'apparaît pas spécifiquement mise en avant, du moins à la lecture de ce seul document. 

Understanding Russian "Hybrid Warfare" - RAND Corporation

Understanding Russian "Hybrid Warfare", by Christopher S. Chivvis, RAND Corporation, Testimony presented before the House Armed Services Committee on March 22, 2017, 12 pages. According to the author, Russia's hybrid warfare is a mix of information operations, cyber, proxies, economic influence, clandestine measures, and political influence. 

"Wiretapping" - recent documents and debates

"Wiretapping" : here is a short selection of interesting publications concerning the current debates on wiretapping in the U.S: 

- "FBI director to testify on wiretapping, Russia hacking charges", 20 March 2017

- "Reining In Warrantless Wiretapping of Americans", March 16, 2017

- "Comey confirms inquiry on Russia and Trump Allies", March 21, 2017

- "On March 6, 2017, EPIC submitted a FOIA request (the “EPIC FOIA Request”)to the Department of Justice’s National Security Division (“NSD”) for disclosure of all §1804 FISA applications for wiretapping in Trump Tower in the NSD’s possession...  ", March 20, 2017

Video: "FULL James Comey, Mike Rogers Testify on Wiretapping Russian election interference. March 20 2017"

The Pillars of APT Defense - by M. E. Kabay

The Pillars of APT Defense - by M. E. Kabay, Norwich University, March 23, 2017 

Des cyber-opérations pour contrer le programme de missiles nord-coréen?

Le New York Times a publié le 6 mars dernier un article soulevant la question suivante: les Etats-Unis sont-ils en mesure de paralyser le programme de missiles nord-coréen, en ayant recours à des cyberopérations agressives?  Certains observateurs virent dans les quelques échecs rencontrés par le programme coréen au cours de ces derniers mois (missiles qui explosent en vol) l'efficacité de l'action américaine. Mais d'autres tests coréens ont été menés à bien, et ont remis en cause la croyance en l'efficacité de la stratégie cyberoffensive américaine. Existe-t-elle seulement? Les Etats-Unis sont-ils capables d'enrayer le programme de missiles à l'aide de cyberattaques ? Utilisent-ils les mêmes méthodes que celles déployés contre le programme nucléaire iranien il y a de cela quelques années?