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Critical infrastructure legislation should also set the parameters of cognitive security – Australian Strategic Policy Institute

My article for the Australian Strategic Policy Institute: https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/critical-infrastructure-legislation-should-also-set-the-parameters-of-cognitive-security/.

With the heightened threats in cyberspace, the Australian government wishes to hasten the passage of crucial amendments to the Security of Critical Infrastructure Act 2018.

The unannounced information war with China has put tremendous strain on the Five Eyes intelligence-gathering alliance in Oceania. The relentless compromising of the private sector, which remains a soft but strategic target, has diluted the conventional boundaries of conflict, forcing the government to enhance its legislative reach.

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An observation on the Debbins affair

An observation on the Debbins affair:

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A ‘perfect’ disinformation op during the India-China-Australia tensions?

“Almost all disinformation operations are imperfect by design, run not by perfectionists, but pragmatists.”

— Thomas Rid in Active Measures: The Secret History of Disinformation and Political Warfare

As Thomas Rid quips in his book Active Measures, cyber-enabled information operations are more active but less measured. So, it is rare to see the instance of an old-school disinformation operation that seems to have served its purpose quite effectively.

Active Measures, in the general sense of the term, are rarely this successful, so the operation I am going to discuss certainly stands out.

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On China, it’s time to consider cyber operations – Hindustan Times

My opinion piece for Hindustan Times: https://www.hindustantimes.com/analysis/on-china-it-s-time-to-consider-cyber-operations/story-crMraUyDc64taDRHMhEnhP.html.

The recent border clashes between India and China have led analysts, habituated to conventional warfare, to compare the relative strengths of the two adversaries in terms of the number of tanks, aircraft and other military paraphernalia.

It appears that Indian strategic discourse has yet again discounted cyber operations as an instrument of power projection, which could have offered a degree of flexibility when it comes to coercing, compelling and imposing costs on the contentious neighbour. This is unfortunate considering how much Indian think-tanks have glamourised the cyber domain.

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“In cyber, the generals should lead from behind” – College of Air Warfare

My talk at College of Air Warfare, Secunderabad, delivered on 17th Dec, 2019. Exquisitely titled, “In cyber, the generals should lead from behind.”

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