INNERSANCTUMVECTORN360™|CYBERSECURITY

CYBERSECURITY

Sleep well someone you don’t know just got access to your personal information. While you and half the world sleep, the other half is rising at sunrise on social media.

Data never sleeps every second of every day someone is collecting personal data on you.

Cyber Terrorists, Malicious hackers, tech giants, internet companies, and advertisers lurk around every corner,

CYBERSECURITY

hiding on the internet, slipping through back doors to get information on you that doesn’t belong to them. Most people believe someone, somewhere is collecting their data, watching them. Having our data collected has become a norm for us we accept it with little if any protest or objection.

Every bit of privacy you thought you had, becomes a free for all. When we accept responsibility, we understand our part in a given situation.

CYBERSECURITY

So who do you call?

Cybersecurity Experts have witnessed and documented many Global government agencies and Corporations, that have suffered major hacks themselves.

It is therefore questionable what value and expertise government agencies that have been hacked can offer especially if they have not addressed and remediated the root cause of the incident. "Someone puts information in; someone takes it out”

Newspaper stories are rolling out, we are being "hacked" our government agencies, corporations, medical facilities are all being affected by cyber warfare. Added to this list are Uber, Facebook, Yahoo, Amazon, Microsoft, eBay, the FBI, NASA and many others have all been violated.

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If a clever person learns by their mistakes, and a wise person, by the mistakes of others, what is a person called who learns absolutely nothing from either?”

A.J. Jenkinson, author of "Stuxnet To Sunburst" 20 years of Digital Exploitation and Cyber Warfare

The only surprise in this entire scenario is the lack of seriousness and response that has followed. Many corporations, government agencies are still going forward (or if you prefer standing still) with the same legacy software, hiring the same people to do the same thing and getting the same results. Then taking a "turf" position; "we know what we are doing".

LOTS OF LUCK WITH THAT ONE!

If a corporation fails to step up monitoring protocols after its first breach, there is nothing to stop repeat attacks from occurring:

Remember that your cell phone is little more than a tracker and it is tracking you.

1Hackers often leave secret windows that they can use to access a corporation’s system again and again after an initial first successful attempt.

Malware, malicious software, viruses, ransomware, Trojans, spyware are all part of a Hackers playbook.

Without employee security training available prior to and after a cyber attack previous human error also leaves a Corporation vulnerable.

Whoever told you that “ignorance is bliss” LIED TO YOU. You can hide your head in the sand and pretend it doesn’t exist but Cyber widespread interconnected digital technology, is not going away. Internet usage has become ubiquitous in our daily lives and existence.

3 2So much in fact that we have become oblivious to the damages of hacking, and to a digital global battlefield where everyone from great powers to lone amateurs engages in combat with one another.

CYBERSECURITY

Enter the spin-doctors: throughout the Middle Ages and all historic periods down to today, there has been disinformation.

No people has been without it.

Disinformation is a sharper, more technologically advanced weapon of cyberwarfare. We are inundated with sixty second sound bites trying to control global narratives which can have a farther outreach and impact than guns and bullets. The road to the truth has transgressed to political underpinnings.

Somewhere on the cross roads of power, disinformation, viruses, malware, and ransomware, we have become numbers to be bartered and traded to the highest bidder. Given the enormity of the stakes involved, and the depth and scope of its reach, it is apparent that cyberwarfare is being utilized.

In regards to China, Reuters reported that:

“The party’s mass propaganda toolkit has been upgraded from strident posters and Mao Zedong’s “Little Red Book” to include artificially intelligent news readers, viral social media campaigns”.

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The U.S. FBI has stated in relevant part that: “The Chinese government is employing tactics that seek to influence lawmakers and public opinion to achieve policies that are more favorable to China”.

“It does not matter what color a cat is, as long as it catches mice”.

Quote by Deng XiaoPing , China.

Manipulating information to gain an advantage in war has been around for a long time. Sun Tzu theorized that the most efficient and devastating way to destroy a country of opponents was to “infect” and then rot their organization from within.

Sound familiar?

The fact that binary code is utilized instead of guns and bombs does not diminish the fact that it is warfare.

Unrestricted warfare is practiced by both state and non state actors, seeking to gain an advantage over stronger opponents to compensate for their weaker military forces.

Was his philosophy the foundation for Cyber Terrorism? Cyber threat actors appeared to have imbibed that lesson. The basic rule of unrestricted warfare is that there are no rules: no means forbidden, nothing you won’t or can’t do including multidimensional, asymmetric attacks on every aspect of life, social, economic, and political.

Modern day Cyber warfare has sped up Sun Tzu’s strategy instantaneously extending its reach globally.

The definition of what Cyberwar incorporates is hinged on philosophical, semantic, and legal questions. In July 2016, NATO recognized cyberspace as a “domain of operations” which means that NATO will defend allies in cyberspace just “as effectively” as it does on land, air, and sea.

However, Hyperbole enters the fray.

There is little agreement as to what constitutes cyberwar. The updated 2016 U.S. Department of Defense Law of War Manual notes that “DoD has recognized cyberspace as an operational domain in which the armed forces must be able to defend and operate, just like the land, sea, air, and space domains.” It further specifies that “if the physical consequences of a cyber attack constitute the kind of physical damage that would be caused by dropping a bomb or firing a missile, that cyber attack would equally be subject to the same rules that apply to attacks using bombs or missiles.”

CYBERSECURITY

The U.S. Code defines war as “any act occurring in the course of (A) declared war; (B) armed conflict, whether or not war has been declared, between two or more nations; or (C) armed conflict between military forces of any origin.”

However, Lloyds of London has its meaning of cyberattacks which include war and cyber attack exclusions. This is allegedly attributed to the rising cost of cyber insurance payouts and Lloyds’ retraction from geopolitically motivated destructive cyberattacks.

2022 report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office observed that “no global consensus exists on the exact

or criteria that define a cyber event as either terrorism

warfare.”

Globally we all face an unprecedented increase in cyber-attacks and malicious cyber activity. We have watched the conflict in Ukraine

how cyber attacks can go from “hypothetical” to playing out in real life.

cyber offensive comprises and defaces websites, social media platforms, and messaging services with false information and propaganda.

Demoralizing the enemy is part of the war game. The number and scale of cyber attacks are immense.

CYBERSECURITY

According to the CyberPeace Institute, 51 different nation states, collective and cybercriminal groups have launched attacks and operations across 29 countries since January.

https://www.databreachtoday.com/u kraines cyber defense wipers remain biggest challenge a 19820

We are in a position where not only can we NOT DEFINE what cyberwar is, but neither can we define who the cyber hackers are.

In addition, cybercriminals have traditionally targeted high value companies and governments but they are now moving down the food chain.

The infamous American bank robber, Willie Horton is reported to have responded when asked why he robs banks, by saying,

“because that's where the money is”.

While computer hackers have been portrayed as the infamous man in a hood, lurking in the alley, they are way more extensive and sophisticated than that.

“Cyberspace is a battlefield with no physical or geographic boundaries”.

Whom do you trust?

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“All’s fair in love and war and espionage,” said Rachel Noble, the director general of the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD), when asked if it was hypocritical for the west to call out cyber attacks from other countries while it is carrying out its own.

Back in the U.S., a report by the congressional watchdog Governmental Accountability Office. “Three federal government agencies provided millions of dollars directly to Chinese research centers between 2015 and 2021.”

Now, this is where zero tolerance should come into play!

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The perspective of Corporations and Governments is: “don’t get Hacked! While the perspective of the Hacker is: “don’t get caught”.

If you’re looking for a happy ending, this story doesn’t end well for all involved.

Ransomware is a growing threat to global economic development and the health and safety of Americans as well as their allies. There is no shortage of ransomware's destructive wide ranging effects.

Had enough?

There’s a New Kid on the Block!

With our increased dependence on information and communication technology, cyberwarfare becomes more disastrous.

Malware’s ability to explore into existing system vulnerabilities and utilization of emerging technologies makes it a significant weapon .

Malware is broadly defined as, “a broad class of attacks, loaded on a system, without the knowledge of the owner to compromise the system, hence benefiting an adversary”.

Artificial Intelligence is a technology that can learn, sense, reason and plan thus AI techniques such as machine learning (ML), deep learning, and natural language processing can conduct detection analysis for intrusions, anomalies, and malicious behavior, as well as the classification of attacks and malware traffic.

Cybersecurity (the CIA triad) is premised on protecting the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of computer systems. With their computing power and capabilities AI and ML play a significant role in the cybersecurity domain.

The conundrum is that AI can be utilized both for good and bad. It can be trained by cyber criminals with false data inputs into data-sets used by AI. AI can also be fooled by “adversarial examples” inputs by a bad actor which fool it into thinking something is something else.

Technology, AI, Machine Learning, Quantum, IoT, has enabled threat actors to become more sophisticated. The U.S. is the top region impacted by ransomware and extortion threats with manufacturing, financial services, healthcare, technology, and government agencies the most targeted industries. Many people and organizations feel cybersecurity has nothing to do with them - until it hits them!

“Cybersecurity is not about thinking “outside the box” but realizing that there is NO BOX”. Linda Restrepo

While the concept of quantum computing was presented in 1980 and has received a lot of attention during the last few decades, quantum cybersecurity is still in its infancy.

Quantum computers can easily become one of the most significant problems for internet safety in the near future. With the ability to transform cybersecurity it can also emerge as a solution. As with all emerging technologies quantum cybersecurity can be utilized for the betterment of cybersecurity threats as well as a threat.

So now let’s see how a cybersecurity hacker could function, he will definitely try to crack your password using all the bits.

In a regular computer and going back to our original batch he will utilize all of the numbers individually until he comes across the correct number.

4 bits 0000 0001 0010 0011 0100 0101 0110 0111 1000 1001 1010 1011 1100 Etc. and you can keep on going So now cybersecurity hackers will use a Quantum computer with Quantum bits. Remember a Quantum Bit is both a zero and a one (heads and tails). This means that the quantum bits are all of the numbers, all at the same time. So in order to find the password, the Quantum bits put into a Quantum Computer can analyze all of the numbers at the same time.

A grovers operator can sweep away all the wrong answers/passwords at the same time and give you the right one. So a quantum computer can evaluate every solution in the universe and give you the absolutely correct one.

The promise of Quantum Technology is delivering an exponential advantage for certain classes of problems. It can become both a solution and a threat to cybersecurity thus, becoming the most critical issue for the internet in the future.

Research in quantum computing cybersecurity suggest that quantum computing can be adopted for the betterment of cybersecurity threats while it poses the most unexpected threats to cybersecurity.

Current cybersecurity programs are based on a relatively linear path but Quantum computing power is growing exponentially. The discussion needs to be continued since it is currently estimated that quantum computers will be established before governmental agencies and companies are prepared to deal with quantum based cyber attacks. The period of vulnerability and damage as a result of lack of preparedness, is unknown. The current cybersecurity infrastructure is not sufficient.

IN CONCLUSION:

“The information provided herein does not paint the whole landscape, it is but an abstract, as there are numerous hurdles to be overcome in order to protect ourselves from cyberwarfare”.

Linda Restrepo is Director of Education and Innovation Human Health Education and Research Foundation. She is a recognized Women in Technology Leader Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence.

Restrepo's expertise includes Exponential Technologies, Computer Algorithms, Research, Implementation Management of Complex Human machine Systems, Global Economic Impacts Research. Restrepo is President of a global government and military defense multidisciplinary research and strategic development firm.

She has directed Corporate Technology Commercialization through the U.S. National Laboratories. Emerging Infectious Diseases, Restrepo is also the Chief Executive Officer of Professional Global Outreach. She has advanced degrees from The University of Texas and New Mexico State University.

IN THE MAKING

DISCLAIMER: This Magazine is designed to provide information, entertainment and motivation to our readers. It does not render any type of political, cybersecurity, computer programming, defense strategy, ethical, legal or any other type of professional advice. It is not intended to, neither should it be construed as a comprehensive evaluation of any topic. The content of this Presentation is the sole expression and opinion of the authors. No warranties or guarantees are expressed or implied by the authors or the Editor. Neither the authors nor the Editor are liable for any physical, psychological, emotional, financial, or commercial damages, including, but not limited to, special, incidental, consequential or other damages. You are responsible for your own choices, actions, and results

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