Marvin Ammori

CNBC has a good piece from Reuters discussing US  efforts in preparing for cyberwarfare and some of the issues that remain paramount today, including fostering partnership between the public and private sectors, the question of segregating portions of networks into secure zones (including who makes those determinations and how), as well as the development and deployment of “cyber arms” in future conflicts.

Nate Anderson over at ARS Technica reports on the release of the ACTA treaty text and how the US largely failed to secure enough support for many of its positions.  Anderson noted the following Internet related developments:

Internet piracy. In earlier drafts, ISPs were told that they must have a policy for disconnecting repeat infringers (something already in the DMCA) in order to steer clear of liability, and disconnecting users after “three strikes” was held up as a model. All of this is gone, reduced to a mere footnote saying that countries can do what they want to limit ISP liability.

IP lookups. Each country does need to provide some way for rightsholders to turn an IP address into a name. Many countries have this already; in the US, it’s a subpoena, while a “Norwich Pharmacal Order” in the UK accomplishes the same thing.

You can visit this link for the ACTA text itself.

Joshua Keating writing on Foreign Policy’s Passport blog, discusses the disagreement US and European leaders have over the concept of “active cyberdefense,” especially in light of suspicion of US involvement with Stuxnet.

Evgeny Morzov writing in the Wall Street Journal has a fascinating piece on the cunning uses of the Internet by authoritarian governments to sustain their hold on power.  One poignant excerpt:

As the public sphere has grown decentralized and media based in the West have lost their dominance in setting the global agenda, it has become easier for governments—as well as for corporations, fringe movements and anyone else with an ax to grind—to promote their agendas. Bribing 100 bloggers is often much easier than bribing the editorial board of one newspaper.

Read more here.

Davide Castelvecchi at Scientific American has a piece discussing the negative effects proposed federal wiretapping laws would have on quantum encryption development.  Castelvecchi notes that by its very nature, quantum encryption is limited to the two communicating parties, and that legislation requiring communications technology to possess mechanisms enabling third parties (i.e. the government) to intercept and decrypt the data  could render the encryption method illegal.

Part Two of the UNL Space and Telecom Conference – a panel on Cyber Policy featuring Scott Borg (US Cyber Consequences Unit), Jason Healey (Delta Risk LLC), and Marcus Sachs (Verizon), with Kim Hart of Politico moderating.

Link here.

The Canadian government released its Cyber Security Strategy yesterday.  The initiative consists of 3 broad “pillars” –

• Securing Government systems;
• Partnering to secure vital cyber systems outside the federal Government; and
• Helping Canadians to be secure online.

The document describes specific measures that will be taken within each pillar, and on its face appears fairly comprehensive.  The plan also stresses cooperation among different government agencies as well as local governments and the private sector.  Some have argued that Canada’s strategy is long overdue and that in the face of an imminent threat the government would be ill-prepared.   Critics stressed that to avoid that possibility the government must act swiftly to implement its plan.

(hat tip Internet Storm Center)

From Times of India: the Stuxnet worm has now infected millions of computers in China, although it is unclear if any significant damage has been caused.  Chinese official media are claiming they have traced the worm’s origins to the US, but so far no evidence has been presented to that effect.

Andrew Rettman at EUobserver discusses European plans to strengthen the European Network and Information Security Agency’s (ENISA) coordination with Europol and other agencies in defending against cyber threats, including plans for a new  “alert system” initiative.

Tony Romm at Politico reports on congressional inaction in providing oversight funding for the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, following the government’s dispersal of $7 billion in stimulus cash aimed at high speed broadband networks.