cyberspace solarium commission – Writings of Pukhraj Singh

10th May 20211st October 2021

The SolarWinds hack pokes holes in Defend Forward – Observer Research Foundation

My article for the Observer Research Foundation: https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/the-solarwinds-hack-pokes-holes-in-defend-forward/

In December 2020, the cybersecurity company FireEye discovered a cyber espionage campaign, compromising dozens of government and private organisations in the US.

Orchestrated by subverting the supply-chain of the popular IT administration software-maker SolarWinds, the operation showcased remarkable ingenuity and precise tradecraft at every step of the “kill chain” to skirt around the phenomenal counterintelligence capabilities of the US. They had no plans to outmatch the strategic cyber offensive might of the US, so the spies tactically blended-in with the environment, exploited “transitive trust” of the computers, and used deception to look like routine processes.

Yet, beyond all the technical details, it was the palpable strategic calculus which strikes at the heart of US cyber policy. The SolarWinds hack could potentially upset many of the US’ cyber statecraft initiatives—bolstering national cyber defence in the aftermath of the 2016 electoral interference—which took years to mature.

2nd February 20212nd February 2021

My litany on the Cyberspace Solarium Commission

I wrote this very long email to a senior member of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission. It was well received and the person agreed with many of my assertions. Sharing is caring.

30th December 20203rd January 2021

The Competition Continuum and noncontact operations in cyberspace

The SolarWinds hack has triggered deep introspection within the policy circles.

One realisation which I am having is that military strategies in cyberspace seem to be wanting to define “contact” in more conventional terms rather than how it’s really applicable to cyber operations.

28th December 202028th December 2020

SolarWinds: Cyber strategists are back to the drawing board – Hindustan Times

My geo-strategic take on the SolarWinds hack, published by the Hindustan Times: https://www.hindustantimes.com/analysis/solarwinds-cyber-strategists-are-back-to-the-drawing-board/story-L5QunVMY7vRa04isQlT1QL.html.

The SolarWinds hack – a cyber espionage campaign compromising critical organisations of the United States (US) – has fundamentally disrupted the power dynamics of cyberspace.

It is not only a major setback to the cyber statecraft initiatives of the US which took years to mature, but also challenges the basic assumptions upon which the West’s strategy for cyber dominance rests.