TOP OF THE DAY
ITU Global Innovation Forum identifies ways to enhance digital innovation
(International Telecommunication Union – 30 October 2024) The Global Innovation Forum held by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) between 28 and 30 October has identified key ways to help close the “digital innovation gap.”. The suggested approaches, focusing on critical factors from expanding collaboration to attracting investment, are meant to spur sustainable economic growth. – Press Release
Leaders wrestle with a potent mix: AI and weapons of mass destruction
(Linus Höller – Defense News – 30 October 2024) Emerging technologies have radically reshaped the arms control landscape and pose a set of major challenges, though also some opportunities in curbing the spread of weapons of mass destruction, said representatives of five major UN-adjacent disarmament agencies. Speaking Oct. 25 on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly’s First Committee meeting – the UN’s top disarmament body – representatives discussed how the emergence of artificial intelligence, accessible drones, new reactor technologies and others have impacted their task of controlling the proliferation of dangerous weapons and materials. – Leaders wrestle with a potent mix: AI and weapons of mass destruction
CISA Launches First International Cybersecurity Plan
(James Coker – Infosecurity Magazine – 30 October 2024) The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has published its first ever international strategic plan, designed to boost international cooperation in combatting cyber threats to critical infrastructure. The plan acknowledges the complex and geographically dispersed nature of cyber risks, and the need for threat information and risk reduction advice to be shared rapidly with international partners. – CISA Launches First International Cybersecurity Plan – Infosecurity Magazine
Over Half of US County Websites “Could Be Spoofed”
(Phil Muncaster – Infosecurity Magazine – 30 October 2024) Security experts have sounded another US election warning after claiming that the majority of US county websites could be copied to spread disinformation and steal info. Comparitech analyzed the websites and official contact email addresses for 3144 US counties to compile its report. These administrative districts play an important role in elections, as many voters turn to their local county website for information on polling booths and other queries. – Over Half of US County Websites “Could Be Spoofed” – Infosecurity Magazine
HarmonyOS NEXT: Beijing’s Bid for Operating System Independence
(W.Y. Kwok – The Jamestown Foundation – 30 October 2024) Huawei has launched HarmonyOS NEXT, the first fully self-developed mobile operating system in the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) that is independent of Android and Linux/Unix kernels. HarmonyOS has seen substantial domestic adoption, surpassing iOS to become the PRC’s second-largest operating system with a 17 percent domestic market share. HarmonyOS is bolstered by strong local government and state enterprise support and is becoming a favorite vendor for managing government applications and running government systems. The operating system will face challenges in global markets, including the dominance of iOS and Android, security concerns, and ongoing geopolitical tensions. Southeast Asia will likely provide the first region in which HarmonOS NEXT will be launched overseas. – HarmonyOS NEXT: Beijing’s Bid for Operating System Independence – Jamestown
Bytes and Battles: Inclusion of Data Governance in Responsible Military AI
(Yasmin Afina, Sarah Grand-Clément – Centre for International Governance Innovation – 29 October 2024) Data plays a critical role in the training, testing and use of artificial intelligence (AI), including in the military domain. Research and development for AI-enabled military solutions is proceeding at a rapid pace; however, pathways and governance solutions to address concerns (such as issues with the availability and quality of training data sets) are lacking. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of data issues surrounding the development, deployment and use of AI; examines data governance lessons and practices from civilian applications; and identifies pathways through which data governance could be enacted. The paper concludes with an overview of possible policy and governance approaches to data practices surrounding military AI to foster the responsible development, testing, deployment and use of AI in the military domain. – Bytes and Battles: Inclusion of Data Governance in Responsible Military AI – Centre for International Governance Innovation
SECURITY
North Korean hackers seen collaborating with Play ransomware group, researchers say
(Jonathan Greig – The Record – 30 October 2024) Hackers affiliated with North Korea’s Reconnaissance General Bureau were involved in a Play ransomware attack identified by incident responders in September. Palo Alto Networks’ Unit42 published a report on Wednesday highlighting an investigation into a recent ransomware attack where North Korean actors appeared to be collaborating with the financially-minded Play ransomware gang. – North Korean hackers seen collaborating with Play ransomware group, researchers say
ISACA CEO Erik Prusch on AI Fundamentals, Workforce, and Tackling Cybersecurity Challenges
(Beth Maundrill – Infosecurity Magazine – 30 October 2024) The cybersecurity landscape is rapidly evolving, driven by the increasing complexity of technology and the emergence of new threats. As the world tackles with these challenges, ISACA, a global association of IT and cybersecurity professionals, is at the forefront of addressing these issues. With over 180,000 members worldwide, ISACA plays a crucial role in shaping the future of the industry. – ISACA CEO Erik Prusch on AI, Workforce, and Tackling Cybersecurity Cha – Infosecurity Magazine
Back to the Future, Securing Generative AI
(Matt Honea – SecurityWeek – October 30, 2024) Over the last 10 years, the top jobs in data analysis have evolved from statistics and applied modeling, into actuarial science, into data science, into machine learning, and now here we are, Artificial Intelligence and Generative AI. AI has become ubiquitous – most people have used it and almost everyone has an opinion of it. – Back to the Future, Securing Generative AI – SecurityWeek
How to Manage AI Big-Data Risks
(Georgianna Shea, Zachary Daher – The National Interest – 21 October 2024) Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer a science fiction fantasy—but AI systems are only as good as the code, training data, and algorithms used to create them. As AI continues transforming industries, understanding and addressing its inherent risks is paramount. What’s needed now is a robust framework to manage AI vulnerabilities. Cybersecurity is light years ahead of AI. By applying lessons learned from cybersecurity, effective strategies can be developed to ensure the responsible and trustworthy advancement of AI technologies. – How to Manage AI Big-Data Risks | The National Interest
The National Insecurity of AI
(Graham Allison – Belfer Center for Science and International Relations – 16 October 2024) Following the Aspen Strategy Group Summer Workshop, Graham Allison offers his reflections and key insights about the impact of AI on American national security. – The National Insecurity of AI | The Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
GOVERNANCE
Americans want AI disclaimers, FEC commissioner says
(Alexandra Kelley – NextGov – 30 October 2024) Ahead of the 2024 U.S. presidential election, Commissioner Shana Broussard of the Federal Election Commission said that the rulemaking process related to artificial intelligence in political advertisements revealed the popularity of disclaimers. Broussard’s comments follow the FEC’s decision released last month that reiterated existing regulations in the Federal Election Campaign Act expand to AI-generated content, following a petition from nonprofit group Public Citizen asking for an outright ban on using deepfakes in political ads. – Americans want AI disclaimers, FEC commissioner says – Nextgov/FCW
DEFENSE, INTELLIGENCE, AND WAR
Air Force’s new cloud-based cyber defense system to protect ‘soft unbelly’ of cyber ops networks
(Carley Welch – Breaking Defense – 30 October 2024) When it comes online, the Air Force expects a new, more robust cloud-based system for cyber operations to allow airmen to better understand their network ecosystem and spot weak spots before adversaries do, Gen. Thomas Hensley, commander of the 16th Air Force said Tuesday. The new system, dubbed the Integrated Defensive Cyberspace System (IDCS) is intended to replace the Cyberspace Vulnerability Assessment/Hunter (CVA/H) and the Operations Platform Fly Away Kits (IOP-FAK), and offer data sharing through the cloud so airmen from different bases can share sensitive information regarding cyber threats. Hensley’s goal: have two IDCS kits installed at each Air Force base. – Air Force’s new cloud-based cyber defense system to protect ‘soft unbelly’ of cyber ops networks – Breaking Defense
South Korea eyes pathway for AUKUS Pillar II with new defense tech agreement
(Ashley Roque, Aaron Mehta – Breaking Defense – 30 October 2024) The defense ministers for the US and South Korea today announced a new joint defense science and technology executive committee, one that expressly will consider options for Seoul’s participation in AUKUS Pillar II. “Based on the defense vision of the alliance, we plan to establish a vice-minister level defense science and technology executive committee within this year to explore the application of cutting-edge science and technology in the defense sector, as well as cooperation on AUKUS Pillar II,” Kim Yong Hyun, the minister from South Korea, said during comments at the Pentagon. – South Korea eyes pathway for AUKUS Pillar II with new defense tech agreement – Breaking Defense
Machine Failing: How Systems Acquisition and Software Development Flaws Contribute to Military Accidents
(Jeffrey Ding – Texas National Security Review – Winter 2024/2025) How does software contribute to military accidents? The stakes are high. During the Cold War, computerized early warning systems produced “near-miss” nuclear crises. In the future, military AI applications could fail with devastating consequences. To illuminate the causes of military accidents, existing studies apply “normal accidents” and “high reliability organizations” theories. While these frameworks are helpful, they neglect the military’s system acquisition process, which often outsources software development to contractors and limits input from military end-users. By contrast, the software development lifecycle theory expands the causal timeline of accidents beyond decisions made on the battlefield to those made decades earlier in software design, serving as an antecedent account of how software contributes to military accidents. Illuminating dynamics overlooked by the two dominant approaches, this theory is supported by four cases: the 1988 USS Vincennes shootdown of an Iranian airliner; the 2003 Patriot fratricides; the 2017 USS McCain collision; and software upgrades in the 2021 Kabul airlift. – Machine Failing: How Systems Acquisition and Software Development Flaws Contribute to Military Accidents – Texas National Security Review
GPS resiliency is falling short, but there is a solution
(David Simpson – Breaking Defense – 30 October 2024) The third generation of GPS satellites continues to deploy, and US Space Force has selected companies to introduce new Low Earth Orbit augmentation (LEAP) under the Resilient GPS program – yet these upgrades, while necessary, are not sufficient to adequately address growing risk from attacks to GPS. Ground-Based Position, Navigation and Timing (PNT) must be a part of efforts to upgrade and back up GPS if we are to meet rapidly evolving threats. Among the obstacles keeping us from addressing growing adversary counter-space capabilities is the failure to imagine what a day without space might look like. The seams between space, air, ground, electronic warfare and cyber are preventing full appreciation of cross-boundary threats to PNT. We should be organizing more holistically around a diverse set of PNT solutions, including adding a ground-based element to provide PNT signals receivable by our smartphones and other critical receivers. – GPS resiliency is falling short, but there is a solution – Breaking Defense
NATO and Emerging Technologies—The Alliance’s Shifting Approach to Military Innovation
(Stephen Herzog, Dominika Kunertova – Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs – 21 October 2024) NATO has long taken a top-down approach to upstream military innovation and technology governance––supporting the production of platforms and capabilities to counter specific threats. Yet, traditional partnerships in the military–industrial complex are ill-suited to many contemporary challenges lying at the intersection of technology and great-power competition with Russia and China. Today’s emerging and disruptive technologies are increasingly dual-use and do not always have clear military applications. Embracing the new era of defense innovation will require NATO to innovate itself. – NATO and Emerging Technologies—The Alliance’s Shifting Approach to Military Innovation | The Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
Minding the drone gap: Drone warfare and the EU
(Jan Joel Andersson, Sascha Simon – European Union Institute for Security Studies – 11 October 2024) Artillery dominates the war in Ukraine, but is the drone fast replacing it as the ‘King of Battle’? Ukraine’s military leadership suggested as much in May 2024, stating that ‘drones kill more soldiers on both sides than anything else’. Drones have become ubiquitous in conflicts all around the world, from the wars in Ukraine and Gaza/Israel/Lebanon to the civil wars in Sudan, Syria and Myanmar. They are also increasingly deployed by non-state actors across the Middle East and Africa. While some argue that this represents a revolutionary shift in warfare, others see it as more of an evolutionary development. However, the broader implications and conclusions to be drawn remain a subject of debate. So, what is the impact of drones on modern warfare? And how should the EU respond? – Minding the drone gap: Drone warfare and the EU | European Union Institute for Security Studies
AI’s New Frontier in War Planning: How AI Agents Can Revolutionize Military Decision-Making
(Richard Farnell, Kira Coffey – Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs – 11 October 2024) Throughout history, rapid changes in the geopolitical and military environment impacted decision-makers’ ability to accomplish strategic or operational objectives. Being too slow to adapt to changing conditions can be catastrophic in a dynamic environment. History is rife with accounts of militaries paying steep prices in lost lives, battles, and even wars due to their failure to adapt. The United States’ national security depends on planners’ ability to account for this dynamism and expeditiously identify gaps, exploit opportunities, and keep pace to stay competitive in modern warfare. The Department of Defense should aggressively begin experimenting with Agentic AI tools (a category of AI that can work through a series of tasks on its own to achieve an assigned, complex objective) in its Joint Operational Planning Process (JOPP) for two important reasons. – AI’s New Frontier in War Planning: How AI Agents Can Revolutionize Military Decision-Making | The Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs