At a glance.
- The current state of Chinese tech in the international marketplace.
- The likely direction of US investment in cybersecurity.
- Interim head of NSA Cybersecurity Directorate.
Chinese tech international exclusion scorecard.
Incoming US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo has promised to “use the full toolkit at [her] disposal to the fullest extent possible to protect Americans and our network from Chinese interference,” Reuters reports. That toolkit might not include blacklisting Huawei. Raimondo said the telecom giant’s Entity List membership is under review, adding, according to the Washington Post, that China’s offenses require a “whole-of-government response.” Meanwhile the outgoing US Federal Communications Commission Chairman labeled Beijing telecoms a “top national security issue,” as the South China Morning Post relates, explaining that the Chinese Communist Party “has a very determined world view” and wants to “exert their will—even beyond their own borders.” Reuters reports that the White House yesterday issued a similar statement of its intention to protect US infrastructure from "untrusted vendors."
Swarajyamag says India’s December “National Security Directive on Telecommunication Sector,” which the Indian Express notes is designed to protect the supply chain by designating “trusted” and “untrusted” products and vendors, could exclude Huawei and ZTE from domestic networks moving forward. The plan will not require the replacement of extant tech.
In a victory for China, ETTelecom relays that projected expenses combined with the sunset of a President Trump alliance caused Brasilia’s President to reverse course on excluding Huawei from 5G auctions set to take place in June.
Beijing isn’t sitting still and looking pretty while countries make up their minds. Global Times reports the nation will “take all necessary measures" to defend its interests, including pressuring Sweden to “correct its approach,” and rattling the saber at the new US Administration, as Foreign Policy details. Earlier this month, Chinese President Xi ordered the People’s Liberation Army to prepare for war “at any second.”
What 10 billion bucks might buy, cybersecurity-wise.
Former FBI Chief Information Officer Gordon Bitko takes a look via Forbes at the cyber implications of US President Biden’s American Rescue Plan, which would allocate $10.2 billion to “modernize federal information technology to protect against future cyber-attacks.” Bitko says that pending Congressional approval, the plan is poised to become “one of the largest single efforts the U.S. government has ever undertaken to fix long-running problems with legacy IT and cyber vulnerabilities.” He counsels the Administration not to screw it up, with the following recommendations:
- Implement “proactive,” “risk-based,” “intelligence-driven,” and “consistent” policies across departments.
- Don’t squander resources on outdated devices and systems, including 2014 Federal Information Security Modernization Act-driven procedures and damaged Solorigate goods.
- Funnel funds into “best-in-class” information sharing, monitoring, and response services derived from secure supply chains.
- Prioritize modern zero trust architectures with nextgen identity management.
- Evolve CISA into a cross-agency intelligence and response hub, akin to the post-9/11 National Counterterrorism Center.
NSA's Cybersecurity Directorate has an interim director.
CyberScoop reports that the US National Security Agency's Cybersecurity Directorate has an interim director. Dave Luber, with long experience at both NSA and US Cyber Command, will fill in for Anne Neuberger as she departs for the National Security Council. Luber has been Executive Director at US Cyber Command.