Learning from SolarWinds

Chris, Melanie, and Zack dig into Marcus Willett’s “Lessons of
the SolarWinds Hack” in the latest issue of Survival. They
explore the distinction between cyber espionage and cyber defense
(Was it an attack? Or a hack? Does it matter?), consider the
implications of the offense-defense balance (Is 100 percent
defense feasible?), and review possible global norms that can be
put in place to limit the harm caused by malicious cyber actors.
Melanie and Chris both have grievances toward members of Congress
who are reluctant to revisit old Authorizations for Use
of Military Force , and Zack gripes about Pakistani
Prime Minister Imran Khan’s absurd op-ed in the Washington Post.
And this week’s attafolks were all in the family: Zack welcomed a
new niece named Marlowe; Melanie cheered her amazing older
brother, David, a renowned physician and educator at the Mayo
Clinic; and Chris gives a shout out to his daughter Katelyn —-
and all members of the Class of 2021.  


 


Marcus Willette, “Lessons of the SolarWinds Hack,” IISS,
March 31, 2021  

Trey Herr, et al “Broken Trust: Lessons from Sunburst,” Cyber
Statecraft Initiative, Atlantic Council

Stephen Miles, Twitter, June 21, 2021

Dmitri Alperovitchand Ian Ward, "How Should the U.S.
Respond to the SolarWinds and Microsoft Exchange Hacks?,"
Lawfare, March 12, 2021

"Critical Infrastructure Sectors," S. Department of
Homeland Security

Imran Khan, "Pakistan is Ready to be a Partner for Peace in
Afghanistan, but We Will Not Host US Bases," Washington Post,
June 21, 2021