At a glance.
- Cybersecurity and national security: a view from two of the Five Eyes.
- Update on Amazon privacy lobbying.
Cyber defense as a matter of national security.
ABC News offers an inside look at the headquarters for the US Integrated Cyber Command Center, the hub of the spy agency's cyber operations. Dubbed the “Battle Bridge,” it’s here that the military, civilian, and intelligence communities join forces to defend the nation against cyber threats. Defensive “Hunt Forward' teams scour the networks of partners and allies in order to identify malicious activity, then use the intel to develop defensive strategies. The recent Colonial Pipeline and JBS attacks have demonstrated that critical services are a target, and as 90% of the nation’s critical infrastructure is in the private sector, preventing such attacks will require partnerships between public and private.
Speaking of collaboration, HS Today reports that the UK and US militaries are partnering to conduct their combined Cyber Management Review. The forum brings together the National Security Agency, US Cyber Command, UK Strategic Command, and the UK Government Communications Headquarters to discuss future military and intelligence efforts to fight cyberthreats. “As like-minded allies for two centuries, the United Kingdom and the United States share a close and enduring relationship...We agree that strategic engagement in cyberspace is crucial to defending our way of life, by addressing these evolving threats with a full range of capabilities. To carry this out, we will continue to adapt, innovate, partner and succeed against evolving threats in cyberspace.”
Nextgov.com reports that the 2022 National Defense Strategy will highlight the Defense Department’s cyber tactics, which is further evidence that the US recognizes that cybersecurity is integral to national security. Mieke Eoyang, deputy assistant secretary of Defense for cyber policy, explained at the CyberNext DC conference that the concept of “defending forward” will drive the department’s three central missions in cyberspace: defending Department of Defense networks, expanding network capabilities to the warfighters, and defending the nation as a whole. Eoyang explained, “While DOD is not responsible for all cyber crime...when it hits infrastructure [in the U.S.] we’re resourced to be able to address it. Some of our adversaries have tremendous resources in this area.”
US Congress responds to allegations that Amazon is actively blocking privacy legislation.
In response to a recent Reuters investigation that revealed Amazon’s alleged lobbying operation aimed at stifling US data privacy protections, five members of Congress are calling for federal consumer-privacy legislation, Reuters reports. Senator Richard Blumenthal (Democrat of Connecticut) tweeted on Friday, “Amazon shamefully launched a campaign to squash privacy legislation while its devices listen to and watch our lives.” Senator Ron Wyden (Democrat of Oregon) added that the Reuters report demonstrates how tech giants use their financial influence to weaken privacy protections. “Congress needs to prove Amazon wrong, and pass legislation that finally stops massive corporations from abusing and exploiting our personal data,” Wyden said. When asked for comment, Amazon simply repeated its statement from the original report, saying the company is pushing for one federal privacy law that “requires transparency about data practices, prohibits the sale of personal data without consent, and ensures that consumers have the right to request access to and deletion of their personal information.”