Forum on Cyber Resilience News & Updates: Report Release & Upcoming Summer 2019 Meeting
Forum Announcement
Forum on Cyber Resilience
Wednesday, July 10, 2019
The summer 2019 meeting of the Forum on Cyber Resilience will take place in Washington, DC on July 10 from 10am - 5:30pm EST.
The public session will feature topics including quantum computing, supply chain security, and disinformation. For more information as it becomes available, please check nas.edu/cyber.
To register for the event and updates, please click here.
Report Release
Beyond Spectre: Confronting New Technical and Policy Challenges - Proceedings of a Workshop (2019) summarizes the presentations and discussions from a workshop of the Forum on Cyber Resilience where participants explored the implications of Spectre. In 2017, researchers discovered a vulnerability in microprocessors used in computers and devices all over the world. The vulnerability, named Spectre, combines side effects from caching and speculative execution, which are techniques that have been used for many years to increase the speed at which computers operate. The discovery upends a number of common assumptions about cybersecurity and draws attention to the complexities of the global supply chain and global customer base for the vast range of devices and cloud capabilities that all computer users rely on.
Forum Members and Alumi
The Forum welcomes several new members:
- Yair Amir, Johns Hopkins University
- Katherine Charlet, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
- John Launchbury, Galois, Inc.
- Audrey Plonk, Intel Corporation
- Parisa Tabriz, Google, Inc.
Jeremy Epstein, vice chair of the U.S. Technology Policy Committee of the non-profit and non-lobbying Association for Computing Machinery, wrote an opinion piece for The Hill, "Russia hacked us: We made it far too easy - and still do."
Fred Cate spoke with NPR's Morning Edition recently on the topic of export controls related to emerging and foundational technology.
Congratulations to Forum Alum Anita Allen on her election to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences.
Recent Reports
Quantum Computing: Progress and Prospects (2019) provides an introduction to the field, including the unique characteristics and constraints of the technology, and assesses the feasibility and implications of creating a functional quantum computer capable of addressing real-world problems. This report considers hardware and software requirements, quantum algorithms, drivers of advances in quantum computing and quantum devices, benchmarks associated with relevant use cases, the time and resources required, and how to assess the probability of success.
Recoverability as a First-Class Security Objective: Proceedings of a Workshop (2018) summarizes the presentations and discussions from a workshop of the Forum on Cyber Resilience where participants spoke about the complex facets of recoverability-that is, the ability to restore normal operations and security in a system affected by software or hardware failure or a deliberate attack.
Securing the Vote: Protecting American Democracy (2018) examines the challenges arising out of the 2016 federal election, assesses current technology and standards for voting, and recommends steps that the federal government, state and local governments, election administrators, and vendors of voting technology should take to improve the security of election infrastructure. In doing so, the report provides a vision of voting that is more secure, accessible, reliable, and verifiable.
Decrypting the Encryption Debate: A Framework for Decision Makers (2018) reviews how encryption is used, including its applications to cybersecurity; its role in protecting privacy and civil liberties; the needs of law enforcement and the intelligence community for information; technical and policy options for accessing plaintext; and the international landscape. This book describes the context in which decisions about providing authorized government agencies access to the plaintext version of encrypted information would be made and identifies and characterizes possible mechanisms and alternative means of obtaining information.
Software Update as a Mechanism for Resilience and Security: Proceedings of a Workshop (2017) summarizes the presentations and discussions from a workshop of the Forum on Cyber Resilience. You can also listen to Will Drewry's talk from that workshop about software update strategies for different kinds of consumer products and platforms.
Cryptographic Agility and Interoperability: Proceedings of a Workshop (2017) summarizes the presentations and discussions from a workshop of the Forum on Cyber Resilience where participants discussed the history and practice of cryptography, its current challenges, and its future possibilities.
About the Forum on Cyber Resilience
The Forum on Cyber Resilience is a National Academies roundtable that convenes scientists, practitioners, and policymakers for improved resilience of our nation's computing and communications systems.
The Forum is part of the Academies' Computer Science and Telecommunications Board (CSTB), which convenes the nation's foremost computer science, telecommunications, and information technology experts. They provide authoritative advice to the nation on technical and public policy aspects of IT and its social and economic implications, on sustaining leadership in IT innovation, and on using IT in desirable and beneficial ways. The Forum's and CSTB's products include workshops, other public meetings, and influential and widely read reports. They are part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, which provides independent and objective advice to the nation and conducts other activities to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions.
For more information on the Forum on Cyber Resilience, please visit www.cyber-forum.org.
Copyright (c) 2019, The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine - Forum on Cyber Resilience. All rights reserved.
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Forum on Cyber Resilience
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cyberforum@nas.edu