Further Reading
- “Why the Russian hack is so significant, and why it’s close to a worst-case scenario” By Kevin Collier — NBC News. This article quotes experts who paint a very ugly picture for the United States (U.S.) in trying to recover from the Russian Federation’s hack. Firstly, the Russians are very good at what they do and likely built multiple backdoors in systems they would want to ensure they have access to after using SolarWinds’ update system to gain initial entry. Secondly, broadly speaking, at present, U.S. agencies and companies have two very unpalatable options: spend months hunting through their systems for any such backdoors or other issues or rebuild their systems from scratch. The ramifications of this hack will continue to be felt well into the Biden Administration.
- “The storming of Capitol Hill was organized on social media.” By Sheera Frenkel — The New York Times. As the repercussions of the riot and apparently attempted insurrection continue to be felt, one aspect that has received attention and will continue to receive attention is the role social media platforms played. Platforms used predominantly by right wing and extremist groups like Gab and Parler were used extensively to plan and execute the attack. This fact and the ongoing content moderation issues at larger platforms will surely inform the Section 230 and privacy legislation debates expected to occur this year and into the future.
- “Comcast data cap blasted by lawmakers as it expands into 12 more states” By Jon Brodkin — Ars Technica. Comcast has extended to other states its 1.2TB cap on household broadband usage, and lawmakers in Massachusetts have written the company, claiming this will hurt low-income families working and schooling children at home. Comcast claims this affects only a small class of subscribers, so-called “super users.” Such a move always seemed in retrospect as data is now the most valuable commodity.
- “Finnish lawmakers’ emails hacked in suspected espionage incident” By Shannon Vavra — cyberscoop. Another legislature of a democratic nation has been hacked, and given the recent hacks of Norway’s Parliament and Germany’s Bundestag by the Russians, it may well turn out they were behind this hack that “obtain[ed] information either to benefit a foreign state or to harm Finland” according to Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation.
- “Facebook Forced Its Employees To Stop Discussing Trump’s Coup Attempt” By Ryan Mac — BuzzFeed News. Reportedly, Facebook shut down internal dialogue about the misgivings voiced by employees about its response to the lies in President Donald Trump’s video and the platform’s role in creating the conditions that caused Trump supporters to storm the United States (U.S.) Capitol. Internally and externally, Facebook equivocated on whether it would go so far as Twitter in taking down Trump’s video and content.
- “WhatsApp gives users an ultimatum: Share data with Facebook or stop using the app” By Dan Goodin — Ars Technica. Very likely in response to coming changes to the Apple iOS that will allow for greater control of privacy, Facebook is giving WhatsApp users a choice: accept our new terms of service that allows personal data to be shared with and used by Facebook or have your account permanently deleted.
- “Insecure wheels: Police turn to car data to destroy suspects’ alibis” By Olivia Solon — NBC News. Like any other computerized, connected device, cars are increasingly a source law enforcement (and likely intelligence agencies) are using to investigate crimes. If you sync your phone via USB or Bluetooth, most modern cars will access your phone and store all sorts of personal data that can later be accessed. But, other systems in cars can tell investigators where the car was, how heavy it was (i.e. how many people), when doors opened, etc. And, there are not specific federal or state laws in the United States to mandate protection of these data.
Other Developments
- The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), and the National Security Agency (NSA) issued a joint statement, finally naming the Russian Federation as the likely perpetrator of the massive SolarWinds hack. However, the agencies qualified the language, claiming:
- This work indicates that an Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) actor, likely Russian in origin, is responsible for most or all of the recently discovered, ongoing cyber compromises of both government and non-governmental networks. At this time, we believe this was, and continues to be, an intelligence gathering effort.
- Why the language is not more definitive is not clear. Perhaps the agencies are merely exercising caution about whom is blamed for the attack. Perhaps the agencies do not want to anger a White House and President averse to reports of Russian hacking for fear it will be associated with the hacking during the 2016 election that aided the Trump Campaign.
- However, it is noteworthy the agencies are stating their belief the hacking was related to “intelligence gathering,” suggesting the purpose of the incursions was not to destroy data or launch an attack. Presumably, such an assertion is meant to allays concerns that the Russian Federation intends to attack the United States (U.S.) like it did in Ukraine and Georgia in the last decade.
- The Cyber Unified Coordination Group (UCG) convened per Presidential Policy Directive (PPD) 41 (which technically is the FBI, CISA, and the ODNI but not the NSA) asserted its belief that
- of the approximately 18,000 affected public and private sector customers of SolarWinds’ Orion products, a much smaller number has been compromised by follow-on activity on their systems. We have so far identified fewer than 10 U.S. government agencies that fall into this category, and are working to identify the nongovernment entities who also may be impacted.
- These findings are, of course, preliminary, and there may be incentives for the agencies to be less than forthcoming about what they know of the scope and impact of the hacking.
- This work indicates that an Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) actor, likely Russian in origin, is responsible for most or all of the recently discovered, ongoing cyber compromises of both government and non-governmental networks. At this time, we believe this was, and continues to be, an intelligence gathering effort.
- Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Ajit Pai has said he will not proceed with a rulemaking to curtail 47 USC 230 (Section 230) in response to a petition the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) filed at the direction of President Donald Trump. Pai remarked “I do not intend to move forward with the notice of proposed rule-making at the FCC” because “in part, because given the results of the election, there’s simply not sufficient time to complete the administrative steps necessary in order to resolve the rule-making.” Pai cautioned Congress and the Biden Administration “to study and deliberate on [reforming Section 230] very seriously,” especially “the immunity provision.”
- In October, Pai had announced the FCC would proceed with a notice and comment rulemaking based on the NTIA’s petition asking the agency to start a rulemaking to clarify alleged ambiguities in 47 USC 230 regarding the limits of the liability shield for the content others post online versus the liability protection for “good faith” moderation by the platform itself. The NTIA was acting per direction in an executive order allegedly aiming to correct online censorship. Executive Order 13925, “Preventing Online Censorship” was issued in late May after Twitter factchecked two of President Donald Trump’s Tweets regarding false claims made about mail voting in California in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- A House committee released its most recent assessment of federal cybersecurity and information technology (IT) assessment. The House Oversight Committee’s Government Operations Subcommittee released its 11th biannual scorecard under the “Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act (FITARA). The subcommittee stressed this “marks the first time in the Scorecard’s history that all 24 agencies included in the law have received A’s in a single category” and noted it is “the first time that a category will be retired.” Even though this assessment is labeled the FITARA Scorecard, it is actually a compilation of different metrics borne of other pieces of legislation and executive branch programs.
- The agencies all received an A in meeting the requirements of the “MEGABYTE Act of 2016” (P.L. 114-210) to reduce the fragmented buying and use of software licenses across the federal government. The bill codified Office of Management and Budget (OMB) memorandum M-16-12 Category Management Policy 16-1: Improving the Acquisition and Management of Common Information Technology: Software Licensing. And yet, given the dearth of information in the FITARA Scorecard, it is not possible to verify the subcommittee’s assessment.
- Additionally, 19 of the 24 agencies reviewed received A’s on the Data Center Optimization Initiative (DCOI)
- However, four agencies received F’s on Agency Chief Information Officer (CIO) authority enhancements, measures aiming to fulfill one of the main purposes of FITARA: empowering agency CIOs as a means of controlling and managing better IT acquisition and usage. It has been an ongoing struggle to get agency compliance with the letter and spirit of federal law and directives to do just this.
- Five agencies got F’s and two agencies got D’s for failing to hit the schedule for transitioning off of the “the expiring Networx, Washington Interagency Telecommunications System (WITS) 3, and Regional Local Service Agreement (LSA) contracts” to the General Services Administration’s $50 billion Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions (EIS). The GSA explained this program in a recent letter:
- After March 31, 2020, GSA will disconnect agencies, in phases, to meet the September 30, 2022 milestone for 100% completion of transition. The first phase will include agencies that have been “non-responsive” to transition outreach from GSA. Future phases will be based on each agency’s status at that time and the individual circumstances impacting that agency’s transition progress, such as protests or pending contract modifications. The Agency Transition Sponsor will receive a notification before any services are disconnected, and there will be an opportunity for appeal.
- A bipartisan quartet of United States Senators urged the Trump Administration in a letter to omit language in a trade agreement with the United Kingdom (UK) that mirrors the liability protection in 47 U.S.C. 230 (Section 230). Senators Rob Portman (R-OH), Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Charles E. Grassley (R-IA) argued to U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Robert Lighthizer that a “safe harbor” like the one provided to technology companies for hosting or moderating third party content is outdated, not needed in a free trade agreement, contrary to the will of both the Congress and UK Parliament, and likely to be changed legislatively in the near future. However, left unsaid in the letter, is the fact that Democrats and Republicans generally do not agree on how precisely to change Section 230. There may be consensus that change is needed, but what that change looks like is still a matter much in dispute.
- Stakeholders in Congress were upset that the Trump Administration included language modeled on Section 230 in the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), the modification of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). For example, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Frank Pallone Jr (D-NJ) and then Ranking Member Greg Walden (R-OR) wrote Lighthizer, calling it “inappropriate for the United States to export language mirroring Section 230 while such serious policy discussions are ongoing” in Congress.
- The Trump White House issued a new United States (U.S.) government strategy for advanced computing to replace the 2019 strategy. The “PIONEERING THE FUTURE ADVANCED COMPUTING ECOSYSTEM: A STRATEGIC PLAN” “envisions a future advanced computing ecosystem that provides the foundation for continuing American leadership in science and engineering, economic competitiveness, and national security.” The Administration asserted:
- It develops a whole-of-nation approach based on input from government, academia, nonprofits, and industry sectors, and builds on the objectives and recommendations of the 2019 National Strategic Computing Initiative Update: Pioneering the Future of Computing. This strategic plan also identifies agency roles and responsibilities and describes essential operational and coordination structures necessary to support and implement its objectives. The plan outlines the following strategic objectives:
- Utilize the future advanced computing ecosystem as a strategic resource spanning government, academia, nonprofits, and industry.
- Establish an innovative, trusted, verified, usable, and sustainable software and data ecosystem.
- Support foundational, applied, and translational research and development to drive the future of advanced computing and its applications.
- Expand the diverse, capable, and flexible workforce that is critically needed to build and sustain the advanced computing ecosystem.
- The strategic plan is also intended to work alongside the National Quantum Initiative (NQI), the American Artificial Intelligence Initiative (AAII), and the Industries of the Future (IotF), “and envisions synergistic relationships with these initiatives and priorities.”
- It develops a whole-of-nation approach based on input from government, academia, nonprofits, and industry sectors, and builds on the objectives and recommendations of the 2019 National Strategic Computing Initiative Update: Pioneering the Future of Computing. This strategic plan also identifies agency roles and responsibilities and describes essential operational and coordination structures necessary to support and implement its objectives. The plan outlines the following strategic objectives:
- A federal court threw out a significant portion of a suit Apple brought against a security company, Corellium, that offers technology allowing security researchers to virtualize the iOS in order to undertake research. The United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida summarized the case:
- On August 15, 2019, Apple filed this lawsuit alleging that Corellium infringed Apple’s copyrights in iOS and circumvented its security measures in violation of the federal Digital Millennium Copyright Act (“DMCA”). Corellium denies that it has violated the DMCA or Apple’s copyrights. Corellium further argues that even if it used Apple’s copyrighted work, such use constitutes “fair use” and, therefore, is legally permissible.
- The court found “that Corellium’s use of iOS constitutes fair use” but did not for the DMCA claim, thus allowing Apple to proceed with that portion of the suit.
- The Trump Administration issued a plan on how cloud computing could be marshalled to help federally funded artificial intelligence (AI) research and development (R&D). A select committee made four key recommendations that “should accelerate the use of cloud resources for AI R&D: 1)launch and support pilot projects to identify and explore the advantages and challenges associated with the use of commercial clouds in conducting federally funded AI research; (2) improve education and training opportunities to help researchers better leverage cloud resources for AI R&D; (3) catalog best practices in identity management and single-sign-on strategies to enable more effective use of the variety of commercial cloud resources for AI R&D; and (4) establish and publish best practices for the seamless use of different cloud platforms for AI R&D. Each recommendation, if adopted, should accelerate the use of cloud resources for AI R&D.”
Coming Events
- On 13 January, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will hold its monthly open meeting, and the agency has placed the following items on its tentative agenda “Bureau, Office, and Task Force leaders will summarize the work their teams have done over the last four years in a series of presentations:
- Panel One. The Commission will hear presentations from the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, International Bureau, Office of Engineering and Technology, and Office of Economics and Analytics.
- Panel Two. The Commission will hear presentations from the Wireline Competition Bureau and the Rural Broadband Auctions Task Force.
- Panel Three. The Commission will hear presentations from the Media Bureau and the Incentive Auction Task Force.
- Panel Four. The Commission will hear presentations from the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, Enforcement Bureau, and Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau.
- Panel Five. The Commission will hear presentations from the Office of Communications Business Opportunities, Office of Managing Director, and Office of General Counsel.
- On 27 July, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will hold PrivacyCon 2021.
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Michael Kans 