Cybersecurity and Cyberwarfare

The use of computers and the Internet in conducting warfare in cyberspace.

The 5G World: What People Care About

It’ll be years before most people have 5G phones and a super-fast network to connect them, but the future of mobile technology is shaping up right now. Behind the promises lie some big government decisions about what to prioritize, how to compete, and how fast to move. As citizens and consumers, whether they know it or not, people are being asked to weigh convenience against privacy, national competitiveness against national security, and speed against price.

World wide web founder Sir Tim Berners-Lee scales up efforts to reshape internet

Inrupt, the start-up company founded by Sir Tim Berners-Lee to redesign the way the web works, is expanding its operational team and launching pilot projects in its quest to develop a “massively scalable, production-quality technology platform.” Berners-Lee said there had been a “rush of interest” from open source developers, entrepreneurs, tech company executives, and government officials to support Inrupt’s mission to decentralise the web and hand power back to users. But Inrupt now had to focus on the complexities of turning its underlying Solid technology into a scalable platform.

Moving from ‘secret sauce’ to open standards for 5G

Back in 2011 Marc Andreesen famously observed, “Software is eating the world.” Fifth-generation wireless technology is part of that evolution. Amidst all the hype about 5G, what makes it different is the simple reality that it uses software to virtualize activities that were once performed by function-specific pieces of hardware. Huawei would be disadvantaged if telecommunications networks threw off their old ways and began to think like Google and other digital-age companies.

Sponsor: 

Center for Strategic & International Studies

Date: 
Wed, 02/19/2020 - 20:00 to 22:00

A discussion on the NIST Privacy Framework

There is no one solution for organizations that seek to manage risks to individual’s privacy while ensuring that they are developing innovative products and services. Because it was developed in collaboration with public and private sector stakeholders, the NIST Privacy Framework is flexible and timely, making it the best tool to assist organizations in addressing diverse privacy needs while enabling innovation current with technology trends.



US Officials Say Huawei Can Covertly Access Telecom Networks

US officials say Huawei can covertly access mobile-phone networks around the world through “back doors” designed for use by law enforcement, as Washington tries to persuade allies to exclude the Chinese company from their networks. Intelligence shows Huawei has had this secret capability for more than a decade, US officials said. Huawei rejected the allegations. The US kept the intelligence highly classified until late 2019, when American officials provided details to allies including the United Kingdom and Germany, apparently.

CBO Scores the US 5G Leadership Act of 2019

The US 5G Leadership Act of 2019 (S 1625) would establish a program, administered by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), to reimburse certain US communications providers for the cost of removing and replacing any equipment made by Chinese companies, other companies subject to extrajudicial direction from a foreign government, or entities deemed to pose a national security risk to the US. Under the bill, recipients of federal funding would be prohibited from using US funds to purchase communications equipment from any of those entities.

Sponsor: 

Subcommittee on Research and Technology

House Science Committee

Date: 
Tue, 02/11/2020 - 16:00

Witnesses

Mr. Rodney Petersen, Director, National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education, National Institute of Standards and Technology

Dr. Ambareen Siraj, Professor, Computer Science; Director, Cybersecurity Education Research and Outreach Center, Tennessee Tech University

Mr. Joseph Sawasky, President and Chief Executive Officer, Merit Network, Inc.

Ms. Sonya Miller, HR Director, IBM Security and Enterprise & Technology Security

 



CBO Scores the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act of 219

The Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019 (HR 4998) would establish a program, administered by the Federal Communications Commission, to reimburse certain US communications providers for the cost of removing and replacing equipment or services made or provided by entities, including certain companies based in China, that are deemed to pose a national security risk. The act would prohibit recipients of FCC subsidies from using those funds to purchase, rent, lease, or otherwise obtain communications equipment or services that could threaten national security.

NCTA Warns Against Telecommunication Equipment Rip-And-Replace Efforts

NCTA-The Internet & Television Association said the Federal Communications Commission should not expand its ban of suspect tech identified as a threat to network security beyond participants in the FCC's Universal Service Fund broadband subsidy program. It said applying it to all networks regardless of whether or not the USF funds exceeds the FCC's authority and would duplicate efforts by other agencies. "There is no legal basis for the Commission to move from conditioning eligibility for a program it is statutorily authorized to administer on removal of certain equipment, to simply ban

Huawei, ZTE fight against FCC national security threat classification

Huawei and ZTE have each filed comments with the Federal Communications Commission urging the agency not to move forward in designating the Chinese vendors as US national security threats, which would bar carriers from using the $8.5 billion Universal Service Fund to purchase equipment from those firms. Huawei asserts that the FCC’s decision was not evidence-based, and aimed to single out Huawei and ZTE, claiming external pressure on the agency from Congress. “The designation was not based on a sober, objective assessment of reliable evidence developed and considered through a fair and lawf