News - Israel Defense Forces is stepping up its cyber-warfare efforts

Israel Defense Forces is stepping up its cyber-warfare efforts, through the recruitment of cyber soldiers. October 21, 2012. Haaretz.com

News - Cyber-security: Innovation, Regulation and Strategic

The Innovation and regulation Chair will organize, next November 21, 2012, a Research workshop on Cyber-security: Innovation, Regulation and Strategic Shifts.

Participants:

- Philippe Baumard (Ecole Polytechnique, Innovation & Regulation Chair) will introduce this workshop and welcome:

- Dr. JP Macintosh, Director of Programs, UCL Institute for Security and Resilience Studies

- Dr. Chris C. Demchak, Professor, Strategic Research, NWC Center for Cyber conflict studies

- Admiral Arnaud Coustillère, Cyber-Defense General Officer, Etat-Major des Armées

- Mr. Jean-Luc Moliner, Senior Vice President, Security, France Telecom-Orange

- General Yves-Tristan Boissan, Commander, School of Transmissions

- Mr. Cédric Blancher, Senior Cyber-Security Expert, EADS Group

- John Mallery, Research Scientist, MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory.

More details

Articles - Washington Post - America should brace for cyber-war blowback

Walter Pincus (Washington Post) asks an interesting question: "How prepared is the American public for the inevitable blowback? Just what can be done about this remote-control warfare?" (Blowback being here defined as "an unforeseen and unwanted effect, result, or set of repercussions," according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary). The U.S. is preparing for cyberoffense and is developping new weapon technologies, but is not the only one in the world being able to create and use them. Is the U.S. really prepared to defend against others doing the same thing? (Washington Post - October 21, 2012, America should brace for cyber-war blowback)

News - HSBC websites hit by cyberattack

A large scale cyber attack has hit websites of HSBC. Million of customers around the world have been left without access to online services for at least 7 hours. The DDoS attack has been launched on Thursday evening. At the same time the US financial group Capital 1 was also hit by a similar type of cyberattack. According to HSBC, customers'data have not been affected by this incident. The most important for all firms being victims of such attacks is to ensure business continuity.

News - Conference on Cyber Warfare

Second International Conference on Cyber Security, Cyber Warfare and Digital Forensic (CyberSec 2013), 4-6 March 2013 - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

News - CyberCercle

Agenda du CyberCercle:

- 24 octobre 2012: "Ministère de la défense: opérer en sécurité dans le cyberespace". Intervenants: CA Arnaud COUSTILLIERE, Officier Général en charge de la Cyberdéfense à l'EMA, Francis HILLMEYER, député du Haut-Rhin, membre de la ComDef. Inscription

- 8 novembre 2012: "Quelle place pour la cyberdéfense dans la réflexion du Livre Blanc?". Intervenants: Patrick Paiiloux (ANSSI), Eduardo RIHAN CYPEL, député de Seine-et-Marne, membre de la ComDef et de la Commission du Livre blanc. Inscription

- 5 décembre 2012: "La France dans le débat international sur la cybersécurité". Intervenant: M. l'Ambassadeur Jean-François BLAREL, Secrétaire Général adjoint du ministère des Affaires étrangères. Inscription 

Plus d'informations sur le site Défense & Stratégie

Comments on U.S. Cyber Defense Strategies

Here are some elements of the current U.S. cyber defense strategy:

1 - Reaction to cyberattacks

- The Pentagon's approach to cyber warfare is focusing more on a quick response rather than a perfect solution. "Military focuses on quick response cyber capabilities". Sept. 19, 2012

- DoD is finalizing new cyberwar rules of engagement

2 - Identification of foes

- "The three potential adversaries out there that are developing the greatest capabilities are Russia, China, Iran" (Leon Panetta, Oct.12, 2012. "Panetta sounds alarm on cyber-war threat")

- “Out of a scale of 10, we’re probably 8 [in cyber-war skills. But potential foes] are moving up on the scale – probably the others are about a 3, somewhere in that vicinity, but they’re beginning to move up.” (Leon Panetta, Oct.12, 2012. "Panetta sounds alarm on cyber-war threat")

- Existing new capabilities of attribution ("Cyber Command is increasingly able to trace the origin of digital assaults". Military prepares new agressive rules to fight cyber war: Panetta. Oct.12, 2012)

3 - Human resources

- Recruiting new kind of cyber warriors: civilians, subcontractors, private actors. The future cyber warriors might be civilians rather than DoD soldiers. (Leon Panetta, Speech, October 11, 2012)

4 - Maintaining Secret

- We do not know how DoD and more generally the US react to cyberattacks. Do they counter-attack? How?

Comments:

International power :
- Iran is among the new adversaries that have recently appeared in the cyber realm. Does L. Panetta forget North Korea...?

- The USA remais the strongest actor in the worl: "we are probably 8 ... the others are about a 3...". It means that a future (current?) cyberconflict will be (or is?) a dissymetric one.

- Will DoD rules of engagement become a worldwide model? Will the US allies be constrained to adopt the same rules of engagement? Will the U.S. impose its rules to NATO allies? ...

- Is the US really able to trace the origin of cyberattacks? Will the US be the only country to possess such capability? Will it share this capability with allied countries? 

- Through its attribution capabilities, its rules of engagement, and such a difference in cyber-war skills compared to other nations, the USA tries to impose its hegemonic power through cyberspace.