Canada joined its Five Eyes partners for a recent meeting at the headquarters of the U.S. Defense Information Systems Agency and Cyber Command to discuss the “zero trust” paradigm which assumes communications networks are already compromised and, as a result, require continuous validation of users and devices. [node:read-more:link]
The British and U.S. intelligence chiefs, Sir Jeremy Fleming and Avril Haines, have afforded a rate glimpse into their activities by publicly discussing details of how their communities prepared for Russia’s assault on Ukraine. Interviewing his U.S. counterpart on British radio, Sir Jeremy said i Ukraine had seen a new type of conflict in which intelligence was at the forefront. Haines agreed, saying the war had made it clear that countries “cannot manage any threat . . . without partners or allies.” [node:read-more:link]
The growing role of artificial intelligence in cyber attacks is a “double-edged sword” and a “huge challenge” for NATO, according to David van Weel, Assistant Secretary-General for Emerging Security Challenges. ““Artificial intelligence allows defenders to scan networks more automatically, and fend off attacks rather than doing it manually,” the Dutch national says. “But the other way around, of course, it's the same game.” [node:read-more:link]
The U.S. Department of Defense disclosed today how it plans to protect sensitive information with a “zero trust” network of more than 100 cybersecurity elements. “If we compare this to our home security, we can say that we traditionally lock our windows and doors, and that only those with a key can gain access,” the program’s director explained. “With zero trust, we have identified the items of value within the house and we’ve placed guards and locks with each one of those items inside the house.” [node:read-more:link]
Sweden’s draft 2023 budget includes a proposed increase in defence spending to the equivalent of US$8.3 billion from this year’s $7.1 billion, prioritizing cyberdefence, signals intelligence, preparedness and expanded recruitment. Defence Minister Pål Jonson said today that the plan is for defence capability to be “gradually expanded year-on-year going forward” as the country, awaiting approval of NATO membership, moves toward the alliance’s spending targets. [node:read-more:link]
The Department of National Defence confirmed November 17 that three members of 7 wing (Space) will participate alongside Australian and British personnel in a U.S. Space Force exercise next month. Space Flag 23-1 is the latest in a series of exercises which began in 2017 under the auspices of the U.S. Air Force before Space Command was established and it now incorporates more cyber and intelligence personnel. [node:read-more:link]
The European Commission is proposing a new cybersecurity policy it says would ensure that the European Union can coordinate member states’ defences against Russia. If implemented, it would “significantly increase investments in modern military cyber defense capabilities in a collaborative manner” and stressed the importance of strengthening the bloc’s “key partnership” with NATO. [node:read-more:link]
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is proposing “digital” markers in the hope of protecting websites and systems used for medical and humanitarian purposes against cyberattacks. The “markers” could incorporate information that targetted institutions are protected by the Geneva Conventions. [node:read-more:link]
The first National Defense Strategy from President Joe Biden’s administration sees Russia as an “acute” cyber and missile threat while its take on China is that it is the United States’ most consequential strategic competitor. “Unlike China, Russia can’t systemically challenge the United States over the long term, but Russian aggression does pose an immediate and sharp threat,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said today. [node:read-more:link]
The Chief of Defence Staff, General Wayne Eyre, has told a parliamentary committee that Russia and China consider themselves at war with the West and that they are “not just looking at regime survival but regime expansion.” The committee also heard from Caroline Xavier, chief of the Communications Security Establishment, that there is growing concern about cybercrime, with various state-sponsored entities a threat to Canada. country. [node:read-more:link]
As Russia ramped up missile attacks on civilian targets in Ukraine, Canada and its partners in the G7, backed by NATO, promised today to support Ukraine with “financial, humanitarian, military, diplomatic and legal support for . . . as long as it takes.” Russian President Vladimir Putin said the latest attacks were in retaliation for a strike on a key bridge to Crimea, which he annexed in 2014. [node:read-more:link]
Following up on a commitment this summer by Defence Minister Sebastian Lecornu, the French government today unveiled a €43.9-billion defence budget for 2023 in a move toward a “war economy.” That total would amount to a 7.2 per cent increase from 20220 and would be 36 per cent higher than in 2017. Equipment would account for €38 billion of next year’s budget but there also would be increase spending on cyber, space and seabed defence. [node:read-more:link]
British PM Liz Truss has ordered an update of last year’s defence and security review due to what her government describes as a new global environment resulting from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. John Bew, the PM’s special adviser for foreign affairs and defence, is leading the initiative with a view to completing it by year’s end. [node:read-more:link]
The National Computer Virus Emergency Response Centre in China is accusing the U.S. National Security Agency of breaking into computers at Northwestern Polytechnical University, an institution in Xi’an funded by the Ministry of Industry & Information Technology and believed to do military-related research. The newly-reported hacking occurred in June [node:read-more:link]
Microsoft has published new details about suspected Russian hackers who have carried out cyberespionage attacks against NATO government organizations, think tanks, and defence contractors since at least 2017. The company’s Threat Intelligence Center said August 15 that it has “taken actions to disrupt campaigns” launched by the group. [node:read-more:link]
