The Cyber Statecraft Initiative works at the nexus of geopolitics, technology, and security to craft strategies to help shape the conduct of statecraft and to better inform and secure users. This work extends through the competition of state and non-state actors, the security of the internet and computing systems, the safety of operational technology and physical systems, and the communities of cyberspace. The Initiative convenes a diverse network of passionate and knowledgeable contributors, bridging the gap among technical, policy, and user communities.

Our work

The Atlantic Council Technology Programs comprises five existing efforts—the Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab), the GeoTech Center, the Cyber Statecraft Initiative, the Democracy + Tech Initiative, and the Capacity Building Initiative. These operations work together to address the geopolitical implications of technology and provide policymakers and global stakeholders necessary research, insights, and convenings to address challenges around global technology and ensure its responsible advancement.

Team

Fellows

Publications

Article

Feb 4, 2021

Protecting the new frontier: Seven perspectives on aerospace cybersecurity

By Simon Handler

The aviation community is experiencing unprecedented difficulties, while space is emerging as a new fronter with challenges of its own. But there are opportunities for experts across the aerospace sector to tackle its cybersecurity challenges.

Cybersecurity
Space

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

In the News

Jan 22, 2021

Loomis and Scott in Lawfare: A role for the vulnerabilities equities process in securing software supply chains

On Jan. 14, something unusual happened—the National Security Agency (NSA) publicly announced that it had discovered a critical vulnerability (CVE 2020-0601) deep within Windows 10 and reported it to Microsoft for patching. The disclosure was lauded because of the bug’s severity; buried in a cryptographic library, it would have allowed opportunistic attackers to decipher encrypted […]

Cybersecurity

Uncategorized

Jan 11, 2021

2021 DC Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge

The Atlantic Counci’s Cyber Statecraft Initiative will hold its second entirely virtual Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge on March 4-5, 2021. In lieu of our annual in-person challenge, we will host the entire event over the Zoom platform. The agenda and format will look very similar to past Cyber 9/12 Challenges, except that it will be held remotely. Plenary […]

Cybersecurity

In the News

Jan 11, 2021

Loomis and Scott in Lawfare: A role for the vulnerabilities equities process in securing software supply chains

On Jan. 14, something unusual happened—the National Security Agency (NSA) publicly announced that it had discovered a critical vulnerability (CVE 2020-0601) deep within Windows 10 and reported it to Microsoft for patching. The disclosure was lauded because of the bug’s severity; buried in a cryptographic library, it would have allowed opportunistic attackers to decipher encrypted […]

Cybersecurity

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

Dec 21, 2020

To defend US elections, we must recognize that the fault is in ourselves

By Nina Kollars and Michael Rodriguez

It is time to put money toward state information infrastructure, to align public expectations with the pace of the democratic process, and to hold elected leaders accountable for lighting fires in information dumpsters.

Cybersecurity
Disinformation

New Atlanticist

Dec 15, 2020

Which hacker group is most like your astrological sign?

By Safa Shahwan Edwards and June Lee

Which cyber Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) is most like your astrological sign? After all, behind every cyber operation is a human, led by his or her values and decisions, which can be shaped by one’s astrological sign. These APT-sign pairings provide a guide to some of the most dangerous cyber threat actors and perhaps even a forecast of their prospects for success.

Cybersecurity
Internet

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

Blog Post

Dec 3, 2020

Why we fight: Learning from the Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge

By Robert Carolina

Competitors finish the Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge better prepared to communicate their ideas, better prepared to address the complex threat-filled environment presented by modern cybersecurity, and better prepared to contribute new ideas and new thinking that may someday help to reduce the risks of unnecessary conflict carried out through the cyber domain. These are all good reasons to compete.

Cybersecurity
Defense Policy

Events


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.

Licensing CSI Graphics

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