Space Terrorism | Submarine Cable Security | Rethinking Ransomware Response, and more
Head of U.K.’s Space Directorate Warns of Space Terrorism (Nathan Strout, Defense News)
The head of the United Kingdom’s new Space Directorate warned that increased access to space increases the possibility of “space terrorism,” drawing parallels to the way terrorists were able to use commercial aircraft during the 9/11 attacks. “We all have witnessed what happens, and what particularly happens when the air domain became accessible to all — terrorists turned airliners into weapons. If such a trend holds true for space, when will we have to deal with our first example of space terrorism? And are we prepared for such a dramatic strategic shock?” said Air Vice Marshal Harvey Smyth at the DSEI 2021 conference in London Sept. 14, just days after the 20th anniversary of 9/11. The decreasing cost of launch and the increasing capability of relatively cheap, small satellites makes it easier than ever for governments, corporations and academics to access space. This development has been hailed for the possibilities it’s introduced in the commercial and defense spheres, but Smyth argued that it also opens up new challenges. Under a new arrangement, the United Kingdom will be able to access space situational awareness data from the U.S. Space Force.”
Tech Firms Not Doing Enough to Fight Terrorism, Says Met Police Chief (Rajeev Syal, Guardian)
Cressida Dick calls for more action to stop online radicalization and questions push towards end-to-end encryption
Corona Led to Largest Surface for Cyberterror Attacks Ever - Cyber Chief (Yonah Jeremy Bob, Jerusalem Post)
The coronavirus created the largest cyber-vulnerable surface for terrorists to attack in history, Israel Cyber National Directorate Chief (INCD) Yigal Unna said on Monday. Speaking at the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism at Reichman University in Herzliya, Unna said that Israel and Western countries are, “much more vulnerable” to cyber strikes because “the most developed countries and societies are… connected and Internet-based societies.” He continued stating that Israel and the West have “much more… single points of failure than at any point in history” in a range of sectors from health to mass transportation to energy to water. Next, the INCD chief said that with the onset of the pandemic forcing Israel and the West to leap forward even more in digitizing their societies, they now present “the largest attack-surface any hacker or any terrorist could imagine ever.” Unna said that this “cyber mess” combined with psychological warfare and influence campaigns could have massive new unpredictable consequences. On the positive side, he discussed the hacking into Iran’s “notorious prison, where dissidents are held” where hackers “penetrated the system over there – and after capturing video for a couple of weeks or months – took over the facility and then they published the ugly videos coming out of the jail.
Boards Rethink Incident Response Playbook as Ransomware Surges (David Jones, Cybersecurity Dive)
Corporate boards are no longer rubber-stamping assurances from CIOs or CISOs but are bringing in outside experts, asking more questions and preparing for the risk of personal liability.
The U.S. Should Get Serious about Submarine Cable Security (Justin Sherman, Defense One)
Three trends are accelerating risks to underwater cables’ security and resilience.
The Counterterror War That America Is Winning (Julia C. Morse, The Atlantic)
The United States has centered its efforts on invasions and insurgencies. But another campaign appears to be having greater success.
