Blogs

13th NATO Cyber Defence Workshop will be held May 26-28, 2010 in Tallinn, Estonia.

Cyber defence has become an important building block and confidence building measure within NATO transformation. The scope and complexity of these issues will likely require the release of many concept development and experimentation trials in the future. However, NATO has already achieved three important milestones in the field of cyber defence:
Firstly, a real-time management capability is ensured with the creation of the Cyber Defence Management Authority (CDMA). Secondly, 24/7 NATO’s network defence and incident handling support is the responsibility of NATO Computer Incident Response Capability. Last but not least, an intellectual platform for long-term doctrinal and strategic thinking about the cyber domain is in place through the accreditation of the International Military Organisation - Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE).

The political public debate over U.S. cybersecurity policy over the last few years has produced chilling sound bites like "electronic Pearl Harbor," "digital Armageddon," and even "cyber 9/11."  And despite the clarion calls for "action" that inevitably flow from these phrases, such heated rhetoric does not lend itself to nuanced and focused policymaking.  Perhaps that's why I found my attention riveted on the keynote address given by Scott Charney, vice president, Microsoft Trustworthy Computing at the Business Software Alliance cybersecurity conference on April 30th.

In his speech, Charney proceeded to peel back the layers on the disconnect among the various stakeholders within the cybersecurity community, what they need, and how to get it, in the most level-headed analysis of the cybersecurity landscape that I've heard in a long time.