Cyber & Critical Infrastructure

Watch

• CYBERVOX #3 [EN] - CYBERSAFETY , multi-vector attack on a critical infrastructure. ↗Cyber Vox
• Critical digital infrastructure: Why societies are becoming so vulnerable to cyberattacks |Techtopia ↗DW News
• Why Hacking is the Future of War ↗Johnny Harris

Read

• This Is How They Tell Me The World Ends: The Cyberweapons Arms Race from the Digital Frontline ↗An essential and gripping account of the global cyber arms race, revealing the shadowy world of state-sponsored hacking and its profound implications for national security.Nicole Perlroth
• Sandworm: A New Era of Cyberwar and the Hunt for the Kremlin's Most Dangerous Hackers ↗A chilling exposé of Russia's most destructive cyber operations, offering a detailed look at the real-world impact of attacks on critical infrastructure.Andy Greenberg
• The Fifth Domain: Defending Our Digital Selves from Hackers, Terrorists, and Other Threats ↗A strategic blueprint for navigating the complex landscape of cyber warfare, penned by seasoned national security experts.Richard A. Clarke and R.P. Eddy
• The Cyber Offensive: A New Era of DeterrenceA former intelligence chief's provocative argument for an assertive cyber strategy, challenging conventional notions of deterrence in the digital age.Michael Hayden
• Anatomy of a Cyberattack ↗The definitive journalistic account of Stuxnet, meticulously detailing the unprecedented cyber weapon that ushered in a new era of digital warfare against critical infrastructure.Kim Zetter

Voices to follow

• Bruce Schneier ↗His incisive analysis demystifies complex cybersecurity threats, offering a pragmatic view on digital vulnerabilities and their societal implications.Renowned cryptographer, security technologist, and author
• Nicole Perlroth ↗Her investigative reporting uncovers the clandestine world of cyber warfare, detailing the escalating global arms race in digital exploits.Award-winning cybersecurity journalist and author, formerly The New York Times
• Richard A. Clarke ↗A seasoned voice from the corridors of power, he offers unparalleled insights into the strategic challenges of national cybersecurity and critical infrastructure defence.Former U.S. National Coordinator for Security, Infrastructure Protection, and Counter-terrorism
• Christopher Krebs ↗He provides a practitioner's perspective on safeguarding essential services, advocating for robust public-private partnerships against evolving cyber threats.Former Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)

Glossary

• Critical InfrastructureSystems and assets (like power plants, water systems, or communication networks) that are so important that if they were damaged or stopped working, it would have a serious impact on a country's security, economy, or public health. For example, the electricity grid that powers homes and schools is critical infrastructure because without it, daily life would stop.
• CyberattackAny attempt to damage, disrupt, or gain unauthorized access to computer systems, networks, or data. These attacks can be carried out by individuals, groups, or even countries. For example, if hackers try to shut down a hospital's computer system or steal patient information, that's a cyberattack.
• CybersecurityProtecting computer systems, networks, and data from theft, damage, or unauthorized access. It's like having a strong lock and alarm system for your digital stuff. For example, using a strong password for your email and being careful about clicking suspicious links are part of good cybersecurity habits.
• Data BreachWhen unauthorized people gain access to sensitive or confidential information. This often happens because of a cyberattack or a security mistake. For example, if a company's customer database, including names and addresses, is stolen by hackers, that's a data breach.
• EncryptionThe process of scrambling information into a secret code so that only authorized people with the correct key can read it. It makes your data unreadable to anyone else. For example, when you send a message on a secure messaging app, it uses encryption to make sure only the person you sent it to can read it, even if someone intercepts it.
• FirewallA security system that acts like a barrier between a trusted network (like your home Wi-Fi) and untrusted networks (like the internet). It controls what information can come in and go out. For example, your home router often has a built-in firewall that blocks suspicious incoming connections, protecting your devices from potential threats from the internet.
• MalwareShort for "malicious software," this is any program or code designed to harm computer systems, steal data, or disrupt operations without the user's knowledge. For example, a virus that slows down your computer or a program that secretly records your keystrokes to steal passwords are types of malware.
• NetworkA group of connected computers and devices that can share information and resources with each other. The internet itself is a giant global network. For example, your school's computer lab where all the computers are linked together to share printers and access the internet is a network.
• PhishingA type of cyberattack where attackers try to trick you into giving them your personal information (like passwords or bank details) by pretending to be a trustworthy source, often through fake emails or messages. For example, getting an email that looks exactly like it's from your bank, asking you to click a link and "verify your account" to avoid closure, is often a phishing attempt.
• ResilienceThe ability of a system, like critical infrastructure, to withstand attacks or disruptions and quickly recover to its normal working state. It's about being tough and bouncing back. For example, if a city's power grid is designed with backup systems so that if one part fails, another can quickly take over, that shows good resilience.
• VulnerabilityA weakness or flaw in a computer system, network, or software that could be exploited by an attacker to cause harm or gain unauthorized access. For example, if an old version of an app on your phone has a known bug that allows hackers to get in, that bug is a vulnerability.

Threads 4

Where this connects to other fields, and why it's worth knowing.

• Civil & Structural Engineering Technology

  A lot of the systems running our power grids and banks still hum along on ancient, never-updated code, like a city relying on rusting bridges nobody repaired. Programmers call that 'technical debt,' and just like a crumbling bridge, it stays invisible right up until the day a load it can't handle finally arrives.

• Immunology Health

  Your immune system and a company's cybersecurity team are fighting the same unfair war: the attacker only has to get through once, you have to block every time. So both build defenses in layers, and both hit a scary blind spot with something brand-new. A never-seen virus and a never-seen hack are equally dangerous, because neither defender has learned to recognize it yet.

• Probability, Risk & Uncertainty Mathematics

  Insurance works because car crashes are independent; yours doesn't cause your neighbor's, so payouts average out. Cyberattacks break that. One computer worm can hit millions of customers on the same day at once. When everyone fails together, the 'safety in numbers' that insurance depends on collapses, which is why cyber is so hard to insure.

• Biodiversity Loss Environment

  Plant one type of crop across a whole country and a single pest can wipe out the entire harvest. Software is the same: when everyone runs the identical operating system, one exploit can hack them all at once. That's why variety, in fields or in code, isn't just nice to have, it's actual protection.