Featured commentary & analysis
Notes from the field and analysis from our team—insights to give you practical leverage on the complex challenges of cybersecurity.
Mon, Oct 28, 2019
The zero-day war? How cyber is reshaping the future of the most combustible conflicts
Conventional wisdom would suggest that scaled-up capabilities, growing competition, and the proliferation of malware across cyberspace presents a legitimate risk of escalation in state conflict, transcending the cyber domain toward the kinetic. However, recent history has shown that states have more often availed themselves of their offensive cyber arsenals to achieve surprisingly de-escalatory effects.
New Atlanticist by
Wed, Oct 9, 2019
How governments can use cyber tools irresponsibly to preserve power
The Kazakh case serves as an example of irresponsible cyber statecraft, when governments use cyberspace and technological tools to achieve specific political goals, placing the rights of citizens, as well as their political legitimacy, on the line.
New Atlanticist by
Tue, Sep 17, 2019
The American way of cyber warfare and the case of ISIS
The Cyber Vault collection shows the complexity in design and executing offensive cyber operations which help distinguish an ‘American way’ of cyber warfare—one that is no doubt closely mirrored by many of our allies.
New Atlanticist by
Featured in-depth research & reports
A synthesis of technical systems and policy dynamics, cybersecurity demands detailed understanding to create meaningful change. These reports dig deep into the concepts and assumptions that shape the geopolitics of cybersecurity.
Fri, Nov 22, 2019
What do we know about cyber escalation? Observations from simulations and surveys
Do cyber operations alter how states respond to international crises in a way that creates incentives for decision makers to cross the Rubicon and use military force to settle disputes? This question is central to current cyber strategy debates and the idea of persistent engagement and defending forward in cyberspace. The answer is surprising: no. Based on the evidence, cyber operations offer a valuable escalatory offramp.
Issue Brief by
Fri, Sep 6, 2019
Alternate cybersecurity futures
If the national security community continues to focus on immediate threats and managing current emergencies, it will never escape a cycle of crises, nor manage to impose a strategy to shape tomorrow’s environment.
Report by
Tue, Jul 16, 2019
Collective defense of human dignity: the vision for NATO’s future in cyberspace
An alliance under tension, NATO today faces the challenges of burden sharing, a multipolar world full of old adversaries and emerging challengers. In “Collective Defense of Human Dignity: The Vision for NATO’s Future in Cyberspace,” Christopher Porter, a nonresident senior fellow in the Cyber Statecraft Initiative at the Atlantic Council analyzes member states struggling with […]
Issue Brief by
Featured event series
Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge
The Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge is a one-of-a-kind cyber competition designed to provide students from across academic disciplines with a deeper understanding of the policy and strategy challenges associated with management of tradeoffs during a cyber crisis.
Cyber Risk Wednesdays
The Cyber Risk Wednesday event series, underwritten by Raytheon, provides the cognitive and physical space to help policymakers, corporate leaders, and the public navigate technology and policy interrelationships in a language that resonates with them, and to inject foresight-driven and multidisciplinary analyses into core cyber debates.
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Employment opportunities
Join our cause with the Cyber Statecraft Initiative of the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security.
Digital Statecraft, Digital Streetcraft Podcasts
Nowadays, information technology is an essential part of any nation-state’s toolkit. And yet, in the digital space, nation-states are just a few of many actors. A mastery of cyber operations can give nation-states the advantage they need to pursue their economic, national security or foreign policy goals. But without private sector and civil society cooperation, that mastery can be difficult to achieve. Hosted by the Atlantic Council’s Cyber Statecraft Initiative, Digital Statecraft Digital Streetcraft features diverse perspectives from thinkers in academia, industry and government. By bridging the worlds of statecraft and streetcraft, it examines questions at the nexus of information and communications technologies, geopolitics and national security, searching for cooperation to make cyberspace safer, more stable and more secure for all.
Episode 6: Securing the Software Supply Chain
November 4, 2019
The sheer magnitude and volume of code in software is always expanding. With many open source contributors and the opaque cloud operation of most software, there are just as many vulnerabilities as technological capabilities. In this episode, hear Michael Daly, the CTO of Raytheon, talk about this increasingly important topic: supply chain software security.
Episode 5: Digital Defenders
August 28, 2019
In this episode of Digital Statecraft, Digital Streetcraft, we are joined by Dr. Trey Herr, Director of the Atlantic Council’s Cyber Statecraft Initiative; Mariah Kenny, a recent Graduate from the University of Virginia and NCCDC UVA team captain; and Caroline Linkous, freshman and Echols Scholar at the University of Virginia. Together they discuss the importance of training and educating the next generation of cyber defenders in order to remain at the forefront of the cybersecurity field.
Episode 4: Supply Chain Security in the 21st Century
April 15, 2019
Supply chain attacks have caused some of the most damaging cyber incidents in history, including the 2017 NotPetya malware incident, and they are on the rise. The proliferation of internet-connected devices and the increased reliance of foreign manufacturing increases the attack surface for organizations and makes maintaining visibility into an entire supply chain challenging. The Atlantic Council and Raytheon facilitate a dynamic and solution-oriented discussion on mitigating supply chain risks in an increasingly-connected world.
Episode 3: Operationalizing Cyber Strategies
March 15, 2019
Early 2019 saw the biggest inflection point in US cyber strategy since 1998, with the White House, Department of Defense, and Cyber Command all publicizing new strategies. These new strategies adhering to persistent engagement will have second and third-order effects in the interconnected cyber world. The Atlantic Council and Raytheon facilitate a discussion covering whether these new strategies are the right strategies and how the US can make them work.
Episode 2: The Human Element of Cybersecurity
January 31, 2019
Humans are on the front lines of cybersecurity. As companies grow weary of disappointing “silver bullet” technical cybersecurity solutions, they need to turn to their workforce and the cyber community. Employees are more than just a weakness in the cyber perimeter; they can also be a valuable resource once equipped and educated. Employers should also be open to potential security professionals with unconventional backgrounds who can provide invaluable non-technical perspectives.
Episode 1: Protecting US Critical Infrastructure
December 21, 2018
The security of US critical infrastructure is vital to the nation’s security, prosperity, and well-being. We live in an era of constant advances in the sophistication of attack technology and the emergence of more destructive attacks and bolder nation-state actions, resulting in unprecedented access to power grid operations. Despite renewed concerns about the threat and the risks associated with potential disruptions, threats clearly outpace our ability to secure the infrastructure.
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