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Alan W. Dowd is a Senior Fellow with the American Security Council Foundation, where he writes on the full range of topics relating to national defense, foreign policy and international security. Dowd’s commentaries and essays have appeared in Policy Review, Parameters, Military Officer, The American Legion Magazine, The Journal of Diplomacy and International Relations, The Claremont Review of Books, World Politics Review, The Wall Street Journal Europe, The Jerusalem Post, The Financial Times Deutschland, The Washington Times, The Baltimore Sun, The Washington Examiner, The Detroit News, The Sacramento Bee, The Vancouver Sun, The National Post, The Landing Zone, Current, The World & I, The American Enterprise, Fraser Forum, American Outlook, The American and the online editions of Weekly Standard, National Review and American Interest. Beyond his work in opinion journalism, Dowd has served as an adjunct professor and university lecturer; congressional aide; and administrator, researcher and writer at leading think tanks, including the Hudson Institute, Sagamore Institute and Fraser Institute. An award-winning writer, Dowd has been interviewed by Fox News Channel, Cox News Service, The Washington Times, The National Post, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and numerous radio programs across North America. In addition, his work has been quoted by and/or reprinted in The Guardian, CBS News, BBC News and the Council on Foreign Relations. Dowd holds degrees from Butler University and Indiana University. Follow him at twitter.com/alanwdowd.

ASCF News

Scott Tilley is a Senior Fellow at the American Security Council Foundation, where he writes the “Technical Power” column, focusing on the societal and national security implications of advanced technology in cybersecurity, space, and foreign relations.

He is an emeritus professor at the Florida Institute of Technology. Previously, he was with the University of California, Riverside, Carnegie Mellon University’s Software Engineering Institute, and IBM. His research and teaching were in the areas of computer science, software & systems engineering, educational technology, the design of communication, and business information systems.

He is president and founder of the Center for Technology & Society, president and co-founder of Big Data Florida, past president of INCOSE Space Coast, and a Space Coast Writers’ Guild Fellow.

He has authored over 150 academic papers and has published 28 books (technical and non-technical), most recently Systems Analysis & Design (Cengage, 2020), SPACE (Anthology Alliance, 2019), and Technical Justice (CTS Press, 2019). He wrote the “Technology Today” column for FLORIDA TODAY from 2010 to 2018.

He is a popular public speaker, having delivered numerous keynote presentations and “Tech Talks” for a general audience. Recent examples include the role of big data in the space program, a four-part series on machine learning, and a four-part series on fake news.

He holds a Ph.D. in computer science from the University of Victoria (1995).

Contact him at stilley@cts.today.

Pre-War Digital Pearl Harbor

Thursday, March 7, 2024

Written by Laurence F Sanford, Senior Analyst ASCF

Categories: ASCF Articles

Comments: 0

cybersecurity_picsource_oercommons

February 26, 2024 - The United States is in a pre-war Digital Pearl Harbor status with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP.) It is not like any previous wars, but it is war nonetheless.

The CCP is waging unrestricted warfare against the U.S. through the fusion of all state components. The leading component of this unrestricted war is cyber-digital warfare conducted through Gray Zone activities, which are those actions between kinetic (shooting) and diplomatic niceties.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), National Security Agency (NSA), and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) assess that the People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-sponsored cyber actors are seeking to position themselves on IT networks for disruptive or destructive cyberattacks against U.S. critical infrastructure in the event of a major crisis or conflict with the United States.

CISA Director Jen Easterly gave a stark account of CCP's placement of malware on critical infrastructure. She characterized the Chinese actions as “This is truly an Everything, Everywhere, All at Once scenario.”

At the Munich Cyber Security Conference, FBI Director Christopher Wray said the U.S. and world partners ousted Russian hackers from a network of homes and business routers targeting persons of intelligence interest. While this was good news, Wray said the world is much more dangerous due to the massive CCP's hacking programs. They are larger than the rest of the world combined. Wray has warned of CCP espionage and, most recently, of CCP efforts to infiltrate critical infrastructure networks.

The agencies confirmed that the Volt Typhoon, a CCP malware program, has compromised the IT environments of multiple U.S. critical infrastructure organizations—primarily in the Communications, Energy, Transportation Systems, and Water and Wastewater Systems Sectors.

Rob Joyce, cyber security director of the National Security Agency (NSA), said CCP hackers are positioning themselves within computer networks to strike at U.S. infrastructure in the event of conflict.

Volt Typhoon is not the only cyber malware attacking U.S. critical infrastructure. Dragos, a cyber security company in Hanover, Maryland, estimated there were 905 cyber attacks, a 50% increase, against industrial companies last year from a variety of other nation-states and entities. Dragos identified 28% more groups conducting the attacks. The attacks were not only against information technology but were also against operational technology --- heavy machinery and industrial control systems. Ransomware attacks against industrial control systems were increasingly common and with ransom quickly paid.

A U.S.-based research group was the target of CCP cyber attacks after it published testimony from a whistleblower doctor describing a Falun Gong practitioner who had her kidney removed against her will in China. The woman died shortly after and is a victim of “forced organ harvesting.”

Europe is also under cyber attack, primarily from CCP-backed Mustang Panda. Utilizing targeted “spear phishing,” the attackers are armed with detailed information about their targets to lure them into their espionage net to gather intelligence, disrupt operations, influence policy decisions, and affect elections. Their primary targets are in the diplomatic, defense, and transportation sectors.

South Korea and Japan have been and are the targets of CCP-sponsored TAG-74 cyber espionage. It poses a significant threat to academic, aerospace and defense, military, and political entities.

Worldwide, CCP cyber organization I-Soon had 500 documents leaked and posted online anonymously, including detailed hacking, operational and marketing materials, and target lists. Most of the material was aimed at CCP dissidents residing outside of China. I-Soon is one of many Chinese contractors competing for cyber espionage opportunities for various CCP government agencies.

Summary

Everything, Everywhere, All at Once espionage from China is what the United States is facing. The CCP intends to dominate the world, and cyber espionage is just one of the many tactics it employs.

Defensive awareness and offensive actions by the U.S. and Allies against the threat are increasing. An example is the CCP’s newspaper, Global Times, complaining of foreign cyber spies attacking key information systems and stealing important sensitive data. It asks citizens and organizations to collaborate with national security agencies and promptly report any suspected cyber espionage to government authorities.

“Whack a mole” defense, however, is not good enough. Whack one mole, and another pops up. The best defense is a strong offense. The U.S. government needs to increase its offensive cyber capabilities dramatically, both within the government and by partnering with private organizations. Obviously, cyber security development is secret, but the public can be advised that the work is being done through the normal Congressional budget process.

Yet, no Washington D.C. consensus has emerged on recognizing the CCP threat. Our military budget remains woefully short of what is needed to rebuild its capabilities. President Biden recently joined Chinese-controlled TikTok to campaign for his re-election. This came after Biden banned TikTok from government computer systems and after the FBI and other agencies warned of TikTok’s dangers.

Action

1. Reciprocity - U.S. policies should be based on reciprocity. If the CCP does not allow American media to operate in China, then the U.S. should not allow Chinese media, such as TikTok and others, to operate in America.
2. Offensive cyber weapons - reciprocate against China.
3. Invest in the U.S. military and supporting industrial base.
4. Increase cybersecurity capabilities in all sectors of society.
5. Government leaders - educate Americans on the dangers from China.
6. Citizens - write and meet with Congressional members and local politicians.

Peace Through Strength!

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