20 September 2020

Recent Cyber Events and Possible Implications for Armed Forces


Targeted threats against the military and national security

 Consolidating the ‘new normal’ 

‘NATO’s cybersecurity chief has admitted that the agency ran through contingency plans A, B, C and D to cope with the impact of the Covid-19 outbreak, as he also conceded that systems, protocol and planning may never come back as they once were. Like many who prefer to describe a ‘new normal’ as opposed to a return to ‘business as usual’, Ian West described how the planning for NATO’s facilities around the world was fundamentally exposed - as has been the case for many organisations around the world. Addressing the virtual conference, West said NATO was as relevant to any discussion on ‘progressing beyond this new normal’ as any other nation, government or organisation because it was “significantly impacted” by the pandemic.’ (SC Magazine UK, 1 July 2020) 

The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged the modus operandi of many enterprises and organisations worldwide, resulting in measures taken to keep personnel safe and adhere to respective national guidelines, all while remaining operational. The 1 BBC: Coronavirus: Twitter allows staff to work from home ‘forever’2 CNN: Netflix and YouTube are slowing down in Europe to keep the internet from breaking 2 CNN: Netflix and YouTube are slowing down in Europe to keep the internet from breaking consequences of this have varied. Twitter realised that working from home can be effective and will now allow staff to work from home indefinitely, 1 while streaming services Netflix and YouTube reportedly reduced the quality on their platforms in Europe to minimise load on the internet.2 The underlying fact is that home office and rotational staffing of offices takes advantage of the internet and CIS infrastructures at a magnitude never before seen and it seems like the pandemic has enabled new opportunities in the digital word and challenges alike. With a rise in demand for and use of digital collaboration tools, security requirements, process and procedures rise symmetrically. 

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