About

The 5×5 series by the Cyber Statecraft Initiative features five experts answering five questions on a common theme, trend, or current event in the world of cyber.

Editions

The 5×5

Aug 25, 2021

The 5×5—Cyber capacity and conflict in Africa

By Simon Handler

We brought together a panel of contributors with various perspectives on the region to break down the state of cybersecurity in Africa and explore where investments in cyber capacity could go the furthest.

Africa Cybersecurity

The 5×5

Jul 22, 2021

The 5×5—If it blinks, it sinks: Adventures in securing operational technology

By Will Loomis, Simon Handler

With rising sophistication, automation, and interconnectivity in operational technologies, security has become an overwhelming need.

Cybersecurity Geopolitics & Energy Security

The 5×5

Jun 15, 2021

The 5×5—The state of cybersecurity in the Middle East

By Simon Handler

How will recent developments in the Middle East affect cybersecurity cooperation, and what does the future of the region’s cyber landscape look like?

Cybersecurity Iran

The 5×5

May 13, 2021

The 5×5—How retaliation shapes cyber conflict

By Safa Shahwan Edwards, Simon Handler

Imposing costs—or retaliation—in the physical domain has been studied, but what does retaliation look like in cyberspace and how is it different than retaliation in the physical domain?

Cybersecurity Security & Defense

New Atlanticist

Mar 5, 2021

The 5×5—Questioning basic assumptions in the cyber domain

By Simon Handler, Emma Schroeder

Challenging assumptions in cyberspace also means challenging assumptions about the theorists and strategists themselves. International Women’s Day, coming up on March 8, serves as a reminder to include female voices as a means of enriching policy discussions, producing more insightful work, and driving impact.

Cybersecurity Internet

New Atlanticist

Feb 11, 2021

The 5×5—Looking ahead for the Biden administration after a busy year in cybersecurity

By Simon Handler

It’s been a wild twelve months in the world of cybersecurity since the Atlantic Council’s Cyber Statecraft Initiative launched the 5×5 series. In celebration of the series’ one-year anniversary, experts plotted the year ahead.

Cybersecurity Technology & Innovation

New Atlanticist

Dec 22, 2020

The 5×5—A cyber wish list at a ‘moment of reckoning’

By Simon Handler

The recent SUNBURST compromise of numerous government and private sector company networks has led some, including Microsoft President Brad Smith, to dub the incident a “moment of reckoning.” Here’s what our experts are wishing for this holiday season.

Cybersecurity Disinformation

New Atlanticist

Oct 29, 2020

The 5×5—Trick or threat? The ghouls and goblins behind this year’s cyber incidents

By Simon Handler

This year has witnessed its fair share of unnerving cyber incidents from a range of spooky characters. But 2020 is not over yet. What further ghouls and goblins might lurk? Cyber Statecraft Initiative experts go 5×5 to discuss spine-chilling cyber incidents this Halloween.

Cybersecurity Disinformation

New Atlanticist

Oct 7, 2020

The 5×5—Cybersecurity and the 117th Congress

By Simon Handler

Approximately eighty congressional committees and subcommittees claim jurisdiction over at least some dimension of cybersecurity policy. As the agenda for the coming years is only getting more crowded, Congress must improve its agility in order to pass meaningful cybersecurity legislation effectively.

Cybersecurity Disinformation

Elections 2020

Sep 24, 2020

Five big questions as America votes: Cybersecurity

By Cyber Statecraft Initiative

With the next US presidential election looming, the next administration will face no shortage of substantive cyber policy issues. US adversaries such as China and Russia continue to undermine and fracture the free and open internet, while the technology ecosystem has been altered by the rapid adoption of cloud computing, placing immense power and responsibility in the hands of few technology giants, such as Amazon and Microsoft.

Cybersecurity Elections
Load More

The Atlantic Council’s Cyber Statecraft Initiative, part of the Atlantic Council Technology Programs, works at the nexus of geopolitics and cybersecurity to craft strategies to help shape the conduct of statecraft and to better inform and secure users of technology.

learn more

Content

Blog Post

Sep 15, 2022

Policy hackers take Vegas

By Will Loomis, Safa Shahwan Edwards, Trey Herr, Stewart Scott, and Sarah Powazek

Every year, in the early August heat, thousands of hackers from around the world head to Las Vegas, Nevada for a series of cybersecurity conferences known as Hacker Summer Camp. This year, the Cyber Statecraft Initiative – and a few friends – decided to ship out to see what all the hype is about.

Cybersecurity

The 5×5

Aug 15, 2022

The 5×5—The US-Japan-South Korea trilateral cybersecurity relationship

By Simon Handler

Five experts share their insights on the future of US-Japan-South Korea trilateral cybersecurity cooperation.

Cybersecurity East Asia

The 5×5

Jun 29, 2022

The 5×5—Cybercrime and national security

By Simon Handler, Liv Rowley

Five experts weigh in on emerging trends in cybercrime and their impacts on national security. 

Cybersecurity Intelligence

The 5×5

May 12, 2022

The 5×5—Reflections on trusting trust: Securing software supply chains

By Simon Handler

Five experts discuss the implications of insecure software supply chains and realistic paths to securing them. 

Cybersecurity Defense Technologies

Conflict, Risk, and Tech

Apr 29, 2022

The 5×5—Addressing the global market for offensive cyber capabilities

By Simon Handler

Five experts unpack the global market for offensive cyber capabilities and the implications associated with the proliferation of hacking tools.

Conflict Cybersecurity

The 5×5

Mar 21, 2022

The 5×5—Russia’s cyber statecraft

By Simon Handler

Five experts share their perspectives on what recent cyber developments related to Russia's war in Ukraine indicate about Russian cyber behavior.

Belarus Conflict

The 5×5

Feb 28, 2022

The 5×5—What’s in a cyber strategy?

By Simon Handler

What’s in a cyber strategy, how should one be created, how can observers gauge its effectiveness, and how might such a strategy be reflected in real-world conflicts?

Conflict Cybersecurity

The 5×5

Dec 21, 2021

The 5×5—Hindsight 2021: Cybersecurity is hard

By Simon Handler

We brought together a group of distinguished experts to unpack the year that was and provide an outlook on the cyber policy challenges that lie ahead.

Conflict Cybersecurity

The 5×5

Dec 9, 2021

The 5×5—The state of cybersecurity in Latin America

By Simon Handler

Experts provide insights into the current state of cybersecurity in Latin America, how capacity and cooperation could be improved, and what the future holds for the region.

Caribbean Conflict

The 5×5

Sep 29, 2021

The 5×5—The future of cyber diplomacy

By Simon Handler

We brought together experts with a range of perspectives to discuss cyber diplomacy and what the future of responsible cyber statecraft looks like.

Civil Society Conflict
Load More