IT GRC Forum

For more than a decade, we have been at risk of cyber war and cyber terror due to political disputes or hacktivists bent on disruption. Our information, financial systems and critical infrastructures are the main targets. In 2012, cyber security became part of our popular culture due to the elections.

We use the web to search, shop and to connect with friends and family. And in the process criminals are trying steal from us.

There are few pseudo holiday celebration days or months that truly get my attention. But National Cyber Security Awareness Month definitely does! It’s the one month a year that consumers are consistently reminded by news reporters, government agencies, non-profits and security companies that security is everyone’s responsibility.  All of us need to take actions to protect our personal security, our nation’s critical infrastructure and be good digital citizens.

The White House issued a statement in regards to our critical infrastructure – such as the electricity grid, financial sector, and transportation networks that sustain our way of life – have suffered repeated cyber intrusions, and cyber crime has increased dramatically over the last decade. The President has thus made cyber security an Administration priority.

It’s Tuesday morning after a long weekend, the bookkeeper comes in a little late but hits the books right away. She comes into your office and asks you about a series of wire transfers you made over the holiday weekend to new employees who apparently live overseas. And then your heart sinks. Because you have heard about how small business bank accounts are hacked, but didn’t think it would happen to you.

Nearly three-quarters of Americans have never installed data protection applications or security software on their mobile devices to prevent data loss or defend against viruses and malware. 72% of us have unsecured smartphones, to be exact, even though we are using them more frequently in our digital lives.

In this closing article, last in a set of three, I discuss some international treaties that may or may not apply to Cyber Security. Again I would like to note that the answers I give are merely my opinion on the matter. This article is comprised of two questions. Without further ado:

In continuation of the series I promised you on high-level debates surrounding Cyber Warfare, here is the next article in a series of three. This article will be the longest in the series due to the multi-parted nature of the question. Of course the answers given to each of the questions are merely my opinions on the matter. Please feel free to comment or contact me with relevant remarks.

The NCDI
A few months ago I was engaged by a friend who had desires of starting a new foundation in the Netherlands. He surmised that the Dutch Ministry of Defence could use some help in establishing proper Cyber Doctrine. Now, a scant 6 months later, we find our group is firmly set at 7 people and the foundation has officially been established. It is called the Dutch Institute for Cyber Doctrine (NCDI) and I sincerely hope you will hear more of us in the near future.

Records posted by the Dutch government reflect that the Armed Forces budget for Dutch cyber operations in 2012 has been estimated at 2 million euro´s. A small sum, but still a considerable one in the face of ongoing budget cuts at the Dutch Ministry of Defence. The money is intended to reenforce the Defence department´s digital defences and to develop the capability to partake in "cyber operations".

After writing the article "Cyberspace and 4th Generation Warfare - A Marriage of Convenience" I received many questions and comments that really stirred the conversation. I'd like to further clarify some points and make some more links based on (among other things) observations stolen directly from John Robb's blog. I hope mr. Robb doesn't mind my poaching his IP too much as I make my way forward in linking his theories to how I see the future of cyber conflict.

In 1989 a group of US military analysts including William S. Lind, decided to conveniently ignore the rest of world history and look at evolution in armed conflict starting at a mere 100 years before the inception of the United States. Any biologist worth his salt will tell you that this is too small a sample to take an accurate measurement of such a lengthy ordeal as evolution, but for this article's sake I will digress.