The use of computers and the Internet in conducting warfare in cyberspace.
Cybersecurity and Cyberwarfare
Sen Warner to Facebook: 'Does our personal info reside on a server in China?'
Senate Intelligence Committee Ranking Member Mark Warner (D-VA) said he is concerned that companies like Huawei and ZTE, which government officials believe are a threat to national security, might have been able to get user data from Facebook after it was revealed the company had data-sharing partnerships with roughly 60 device makers. “Does our personal info reside on a server in China? I think Facebook owes us that answer,” Ranking Member Warner said.
The agenda is expected to include the following items:
Huawei Slams FCC Efforts to Bar It From Federal Communications Program
The Federal Communications Commission’s efforts to block the Chinese company Huawei from US telecommunications contracts and supply chains is unconstitutional, misguided, “arbitrary and capricious,” Huawei said. The Chinese telecom giant devoted more than 100 pages to savaging the FCC proposal, which would deny money from the commission’s Universal Service Fund to companies that purchase equipment or services from companies that are deemed threats to national security. That list would include Huawei and ZTE, another Chinese telecom.
Senators demand Bolton reconsider eliminating top cyber post
A group of 19 Democratic Sens wrote to national security adviser John Bolton urging him to reconsider the move to elminate a top cybersecurity position at the White House, calling it a “step in the wrong direction” and worrying that it would “lead to a lack of unified focus against cyber threats.” The role of White House cybersecurity coordinator was established under the Obama administration to coordinate cybersecurity policymaking efforts across the federal government.
Commerce Dept and DHS Deliver Cybersecurity Report to White House
A cybersecurity report from the Commerce Department and Homeland Security has been delivered to the White House in response to a 2017 executive order. The report, on better protecting against botnets and other kinds of automated attacks, was produced in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission, Federal Trade Commission, Department of Justice, Department of Defense and others. It identifies six principal themes:
![](https://www.benton.org/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/trump_ivanka.jpg?itok=KwMM9WFc)
Ivanka Trump Wins China Trademarks, Then Her Father Vows to Save ZTE
China this month awarded Ivanka Trump seven new trademarks across a broad collection of businesses, including books, housewares and cushions. At around the same time, President Trump vowed to find a way to prevent a major Chinese telecommunications company from going bust, even though the company has a history of violating American limits on doing business with countries like Iran and North Korea.
Coincidence? Well, probably.
Hackers infect 500,000 consumer routers all over the world with malware
Hackers possibly working for an advanced nation have infected more than 500,000 home and small-office routers around the world with malware that can be used to collect communications, launch attacks on others, and permanently destroy the devices with a single command, researchers at Cisco warned. VPNFilter—as the modular, multi-stage malware has been dubbed—works on consumer-grade routers made by Linksys, MikroTik, Netgear, TP-Link, and on network-attached storage devices from QNAP, Cisco researchers said. It’s one of the few pieces of Internet-of-things malware that can survive a reboot.
Sens Merkley and Toomey Call on FCC to Address Identity Theft and Fraud in Public Comments
Sens Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Pat Toomey (R-PA) issued a strong call to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai to identify and address fraudulent behavior that has led to potentially two million fake comments being filed under stolen identities on public rulemakings. Though they come from different sides of the aisle, Sens Merkley and Toomey share a personal connection to this issue: Both had their identities stolen to file false comments on the FCC’s net neutrality proposals.
Senate Banking Committe overwhelmingly approves amendment blocking President Trump on ZTE
The Senate Banking Committee rebuked President Donald Trump's efforts to ease sanctions on the Chinese telecom firm ZTE, which the intelligence community and trade regulators have warned poses a national security risk for the U.S. The committee approved an amendment in an overwhelming and bipartisan 23-2 vote that would block President Trump from easing sanctions on ZTE without first certifying to Congress that the company is complying with US law.
The event will focus on how organizations and the government better understand cyber risks and create an institutional culture focused on security.
The breakfast will feature a discussion, moderated by Aspen Cyber Chair John Carlin, featuring Rep. Will Hurd (R-TX), the chair of the House Subcommittee on Information Technology and co-chair of the Aspen Institute’s cyber strategy group, as well as FBI Associate Deputy Director Paul Abbate and McAfee Chief Technology Officer Steve Grobman.
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