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In-Depth Research & Reports

In-Depth Research & Reports Oct 4, 2021

A system of systems: Cooperation on maritime cybersecurity

By William Loomis, Virpratap Vikram Singh, Dr. Gary C. Kessler, Dr. Xavier Bellekens

The MTS is not monolithic; it is a markedly complex “system of systems.” This section segments the MTS into three discrete systems—ships, ports, and cargo—each with its own life cycle, in order to highlight areas of risk and leverage for policy makers and the industry.
Cybersecurity Maritime Security
In-Depth Research & Reports

Report Mar 29, 2021

Broken trust: Lessons from Sunburst

By Trey Herr, Will Loomis, Emma Schroeder, Stewart Scott, Simon Handler, and Tianjiu Zuo

The story of trust is an old one, but the Sunburst cyber-espionage campaign was a startling reminder of the United States’ collective cyber insecurity and the inadequacy of current US strategy to compete in a dynamic intelligence contest in cyberspace.
Cybersecurity Intelligence
In-Depth Research & Reports

Report Aug 31, 2020

Four myths about the cloud: The geopolitics of cloud computing

By Trey Herr

Cloud computing providers are more than companies—they govern vast utility infrastructure, play host to digital battlefields, and are magnificent engines of complexity. Cloud computing is embedded in contemporary geopolitics; the choices providers make are influenced by, and influential on, the behavior of states. In competition and cooperation, cloud computing is the canvas on which states conduct significant political, security, and economic activity.
Cybersecurity Internet

All in-depth research & reports

Issue Brief

Feb 1, 2021

Pathologies of obfuscation: Nobody understands cyber operations or wargaming

By Nina Kollars and Benjamin Schechter

National security and defense professionals have long utilized wargames to better understand hypothetical conflict scenarios. With conflict in the cyber domain becoming a more prominent piece in wargames in the national security community, this issue brief seeks to identify the common pathologies, or potential pitfalls, of cyber wargaming.

Cybersecurity National Security

Report

Dec 14, 2020

How do you fix a flying computer? Seeking resilience in software-intensive mission systems

By Trey Herr, Reed Porada, Simon Handler, Orton Huang, Stewart Scott, Robert Lychev, and Jeremy Mineweaser

Defense organizations, by nature, confront unanticipated and highly impactful disruptions. They must adapt complex mission systems to withstand these disruptions and accomplish defined objectives. To ensure mission systems like the F-35 remain available, capable, and lethal in conflicts to come demands the United States and its allies prioritize the resilience of these systems.

Cybersecurity Defense Industry

Report

Oct 5, 2020

The politics of internet security: Private industry and the future of the web

By Justin Sherman

The private sector plays a crucial role in defining the changing shape of the Internet, especially its security. This report examines two protocols as examples of private sector influence over presently vulnerable systems key to the Internet’s function: the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP), used to route Internet traffic, and the Domain Name System (DNS), used to address Internet traffic.

Cybersecurity Internet

Report

Sep 28, 2020

Dude, where’s my cloud? A guide for wonks and users

By Simon Handler, Lily Liu, and Trey Herr

Cloud computing is transforming society, from interactions between people to the ways by which companies do business, and even how militaries operate. If you have ever been curious about what exactly “the cloud” meant; if you are a policy wonk not a technologist, a user not an admin, then this report is for you.

Cybersecurity Internet

Report

Aug 31, 2020

Four myths about the cloud: The geopolitics of cloud computing

By Trey Herr

Cloud computing providers are more than companies—they govern vast utility infrastructure, play host to digital battlefields, and are magnificent engines of complexity. Cloud computing is embedded in contemporary geopolitics; the choices providers make are influenced by, and influential on, the behavior of states. In competition and cooperation, cloud computing is the canvas on which states conduct significant political, security, and economic activity.

Cybersecurity Internet

In-Depth Research & Reports

Aug 4, 2020

Alliance power for cybersecurity

By Kenneth Geers

There is only one internet, and cybersecurity is therefore an inherently international challenge that countries cannot tackle alone. Alliances like NATO and the EU give democratic countries a cyber edge over their authoritarian challengers.

Cybersecurity Europe & Eurasia

Report

Jul 26, 2020

Breaking trust: Shades of crisis across an insecure software supply chain

By Dr. Trey Herr, William Loomis, Stewart Scott, June Lee

Software supply chain security remains an under-appreciated domain of national security policymaking. Working to improve the security of software supporting private sector enterprise as well as sensitive Defense and Intelligence organizations requires more coherent policy response together industry and open source communities.

Cybersecurity Defense Technologies

Conflict, Risk, and Tech

Jul 22, 2020

Troubled vision: Understanding recent Israeli–Iranian offensive cyber exchanges

By JD Work and Richard Harknett

Reported Iranian intrusions against Israeli critical infrastructure networks and alleged Israeli actions against Iranian proliferation-associated targets pose substantial new challenges to understanding ongoing competition and conflict in the Middle East.

Cybersecurity Iran

Report

Jun 15, 2020

The reverse cascade: Enforcing security on the global IoT supply chain

By Nathaniel Kim, Trey Herr, and Bruce Schneier

The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to the increasing convergence of the physical and digital worlds and it affects us all. Hundreds of “things” are being connected to the Internet and each other, with more than fifty billion devices expected to be connected by 2030. Many IoT devices are manufactured abroad at low cost with little consideration for security. How can we secure these devices, especially those manufactured outside the United States?

Cybersecurity Internet of Things

Conflict, Risk, and Tech

Apr 30, 2020

Loose cobras: DPRK regime succession and uncertain control over offensive cyber capabilities

By JD Work

Unconfirmed rumors surfaced in mid April 2020 regarding the potential incapacitation of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, leading to speculation about the ramifications of a sudden transition of leadership in Pyongyang. These rumors raise serious concerns over the stability of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK) control of offensive cyber operations capabilities.

Cybersecurity East Asia
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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.

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