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

In the News

May 18, 2021

Handler, Schroeder, and Herr in War on the Rocks: Cyber security as counter-terrorism: Seeking a better debate

By Atlantic Council

To improve US cybersecurity, policymakers should draw on relevant strategic lessons from the study of terrorism and counterterrorism.

Cybersecurity Terrorism

In the News

May 17, 2021

Schroeder, Handler, and Herr for the Modern War Institute at West Point: Population-centric cybersecurity: Lessons from counterinsurgency

By Atlantic Council

In developing strategic responses to conflict within and through cyberspace, the United States should learn from past conflicts with similar characteristics. Population-centric counterinsurgency strategies provide a compelling lens.

Cybersecurity Security & Defense

In the News

May 15, 2021

Quarterman Joins PBS NewsHour to Discuss Colonial Pipeline

Cybersecurity Geopolitics & Energy Security

In the News

May 14, 2021

Ortagus discusses Colonial Pipeline attack on Fox News

By Atlantic Council

Scowcroft Center senior advisor Morgan Ortagus appeared on Fox News’s Special Report on Friday to discuss the recent hacking of Colonial Pipeline. In the aftermath of this attack, she argued the United States needs to establish a level of deterrence against malicious cyber activity.

Cybersecurity United States and Canada

In the News

May 14, 2021

Ashford in InkStick: The cautionary tale of the pipeline

By Atlantic Council

On May 14, Emma Ashford wrote an article in Inkstick on the national security implications of the Colonial Pipeline cyber attack. “But while the broad particulars of this story are correct — the Colonial Pipeline was indeed the victim of a ransomware attack which halted transit and caused gasoline shortages up and down the East […]

Cybersecurity Oil and Gas

EnergySource

May 13, 2021

Colonial Pipeline attack demonstrates that a more coherent cybersecurity strategy is necessary

By Cynthia Quarterman

With the announcement that the Colonial Pipeline will reopen soon, the short-term effect of the Colonial cyberattack on gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, and other refined petroleum product prices is likely to be mildly escalatory and short-lived, but it exposes the soft underbelly of the nation’s critical energy infrastructure and the need for a more robust cybersecurity strategy to protect it.

Cybersecurity Energy & Environment

In the News

May 13, 2021

Bell Joins ABC News to Discuss Colonial Pipeline

Cybersecurity Geopolitics & Energy Security

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

In the News

May 13, 2021

Herr in Lawfare: everything you need to know about the new executive order on cybersecurity

Yesterday evening, the Biden administration released its much-anticipated “Executive Order on Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity.”  It is tempting to yawn; every administration in recent memory has done something of this kind, after all, and not always to significant effect.  But this executive order deserves your attention. It contains concrete measures tailored to respond to lessons […]

Cybersecurity

Fast Thinking

May 12, 2021

FAST THINKING: How bad will Israeli-Palestinian violence get?

By Atlantic Council

Is an all-out war brewing? What does this mean for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s future? What role will regional and global powers now play in the confrontation? From Washington to Jerusalem, our experts are here to weigh in.

Cybersecurity Energy & Environment

Experts