Programs

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.

Content

Report

Dec 8, 2021

Europe in a bipolar tech world

By Mathew Burrows, Julian Mueller-Kaler, Kaisa Oksanen, and Ossi Piironen

With no sign of Beijing backing down, the US administration lays out a strategy for restructuring NATO to be targeted on Russia and China, combining its allies from Asia and Europe into an enlarged, redefined alliance.

China Cybersecurity

Issue Brief

Dec 6, 2021

Cybersecurity concerns for the energy sector in the maritime domain

By Andy Bochman, Ian Ralby

As a wide spectrum of energy companies continue to rely on the maritime domain or even increase that reliance, they must be mindful that traditional maritime threats—like piracy, theft, and weather events—are not the only threats they face today. Maritime cybersecurity concerns are among the most potentially disruptive to energy-sector interests, and yet are among the least understood and addressed.

Cybersecurity Energy Transitions

In the News

Dec 2, 2021

Bell featured on the Siemens Energy podcast to discuss cybersecurity and the energy transition

Cybersecurity

Article

Nov 30, 2021

Improving Cybersecurity Outcomes in the Telecommunications Sector

By Tasha Jhangiani and Frances Schroeder

From Internet service providers (ISPs) to cable companies, the telecommunications industry facilitates rapid and widespread communication across the globe. With recent increases in cyber attacks, telecommunications firms have been affected by cyber threats more than ever before. Due to the significant amount of private information that is shared and stored through the critical networks they […]

Cybersecurity Technology & Innovation

UkraineAlert

Nov 27, 2021

Vladimir Putin’s Ukraine obsession could spark a major European war

By Andriy Zagorodnyuk, Alexander Khara

Russian President Vladimir Putin's Ukraine obsession could spark the largest European conflict since WWII. With Russian troops massed on the Ukrainian border, Western leaders must demonstrate their readiness to back Ukraine and impose crushing costs on the Kremlin.

Conflict Cybersecurity

Issue Brief

Nov 23, 2021

Competing data governance models threaten the free flow of information and hamper world trade

By Hung Tran

The EU framework is comprehensive and puts a strong emphasis on the protection of personal data both from the government and private companies. It also establishes that EU citizens’ data can be transferred only to countries with an adequate privacy protection regime (adequacy to be determined by the European Commission).

China Cybersecurity

Report

Nov 15, 2021

Data rules for machine learning: How Europe can unlock the potential while mitigating the risks

By Blanka Soulava, Hamish Cameron and Victoria Ying

Artificial intelligence (AI) will increasingly shape societies and the global economy. Machine learning—which is responsible for the vast majority of AI advancements—is enhancing the way businesses and governments make decisions, develop products, and deliver services. How will the European Union unlock the potential of AI, while mitigating the risks?

Cybersecurity Digital Policy

In the News

Nov 12, 2021

Eftimiades in the New Delhi Times on password theft

By Atlantic Council

Forward Defense nonresident senior fellow Nicholas Eftimiades speaks in the New Delhi Times on the theft of passwords by hacking groups.

China Cybersecurity

In-Depth Research & Reports

Nov 8, 2021

Surveillance Technology at the Fair: Proliferation of Cyber Capabilities in International Arms Markets

By Winnona DeSombre, Lars Gjesvik, and Johann Ole Willers

Nation-state cyber capabilities are increasingly abiding by the “pay-to-play” model—both US/NATO allies and adversaries can purchase interception and intrusion technologies from private firms for intelligence and surveillance purposes. This paper analyzes active providers of interception/intrusion capabilities, as well as the primary arms fairs at which these players operate. The answers to these questions will allow policymakers to better understand the proliferation of cyber capabilities in the hands of irresponsible corporate actors that presents an urgent challenge to national and global security.

Arms Control Cybersecurity

BelarusAlert

Nov 3, 2021

Is Lukashenka mimicking Putin’s weaponization of organized crime?

By Brian Whitmore

As he becomes more and more dependent on the Kremlin, is Belarus dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka now also adopting the Putin regime's practice of using organized crime as an instrument of statecraft?

Belarus Cybersecurity

Experts