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To Stop the Ransomware Pandemic, Start with the Basics  (Economist)
That will help stop other sorts of cyber-mischief, too.

Pentagon Works to Sharpen Definition of “Extremism”  (Jacqueline Feldscher, Defense One)
How do you define extremism? That’s one question the Defense Department is asking itself as it works to implement the first National Strategic for Countering Domestic Terrorism, released by the White House this week. The 32-page strategy document directs the government to increase information sharing among agencies and the private sector, work more closely with community partners to stop recruitment, including via social media, and stop domestic terrorism attacks from happening. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin called the strategy “a milestone” in America’s effort to combat “a serious and growing security threat.” “While domestic law enforcement agencies take the lead, the Department of Defense will do our part to support this important strategy,” Austin said in a statement on Tuesday. “That includes maintaining the Department’s robust relationship with federal law enforcement as well as refining our policies to better address this issue within the Department.” The Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol capped a year that saw violence by homegrown terrorists, especially white supremacist, anti-Muslim and far-right anti-government extremists, hit a quarter-century high, according to recent analysis by the Washington Post.

The Domestic Counterterrorism Strategy Is a Good Start—But Needs More  (Thomas S. Warrick and Javed Ali, Defense One)
For at least three reasons, domestic CT strategy is harder than the international one that worked against al Qaeda.

When It Comes to Online Extremism, Big Tech Is Still Our Main Problem  (EU Reporter)
Over the past two months, lawmakers in the UK and Europe have introduced a number of major new bills aimed at curbing the malicious role that Big Tech plays in the spread of extremist and terrorist content online, writes Counter Extremism Executive Director Project David Ibsen. In this new legislative climate, social media giants such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, who for years have been complacent, if not deliberately negligent, in policing their platforms, are finally beginning to come under pressure. Unsurprisingly, their belated efforts to appease governments through self-regulatory initiatives such as Digital Trust and Safety Partnership are already giving way to a search for scapegoats.