2 octobre 2024 | International, Aérospatial
UK calls for new long-range effector under ‘Project Brakestop’
The UK Ministry of Defence notified the industry that it would start a competition to deliver a long-range effector to the Armed Forces.
21 novembre 2018 | International, C4ISR
Disruptive technologies show why government needs data security standards now
By: Justin Lynch
Telepathy. Data uploading to the brain. Even humanoid sex robots. These are among the ideas that exist on a periodic table of disruptive technologies, a new visual guide that predicts what will alter human existence in the coming years.
Created by Imperial College London, the table identifies what is set to change societies in the short term (smart controls and appliances), as well as fringe ideas that are decades away from existence, if they will exist at all (think force fields.)
Yet the disruption could turn disastrous without proper data-security standards, according to one of the chart's creators, Richard Watson, the futurist in residence at Imperial College London.
“There is very little here that is not in some way digital and connected, which makes it vulnerable,” Watson said.
“Any kind of internet-of-everything device doesn't really work if you haven't got common standards — if Apple isn't sharing with Google and the French aren't sharing with the Germans.”
Experts have long expressed concern about the lack of data standards for internet-connected devices. There is no international standard for data security. And U.S. government oversight of internet-connected devices is spread across at least 11 different federal agencies, according to a 2017 Government Accountability Office report.
“As new and more ‘things' become connected, they increase not only the opportunities for security and privacy breaches, but also the scale and scope of any resulting consequences,” the report said.
And there has been a flurry of cyberattacks using internet-connected devices. Some hackers are exploiting smart devices as an intermediary to attack computer networks, the FBI warned Aug. 2. Ninety-three percent of respondents told Armis, a security platform, in an August survey that they expected governments to exploit connected devices during a cyberattack.
The Imperial College London chart offers a further glimpse at how important it may be to create these common regulations by imagining a wealth of potential breach points. Watson listed some of the table's future technologies that could be hacked.
“Smart controls and appliances.”
Hackable.
“Autonomous robotic surgery.”
Hackable.
“Autonomous ships and submarines.”
Hackable.
“One of the issues with the stuff on here is that it relies on extremely good data security,” Watson said.
The problem with having a developing ecosystem without global standards is that a single vulnerability could allow access to more than one network, and government officials and businesses are currently taking a strategy of letting the private sector debate how, or if, to regulate itself when it comes to internet-connected devices.
One piece of bipartisan federal legislation, the 2017 Internet of Things Cybersecurity Improvement Act, mandates that “devices purchased by the U.S. government meet certain minimum security requirements," but it has stalled in Congress.
As a first step, manufacturers should collaborate to establish device security baselines, Jing de Jong-Chen, general manager for global cybersecurity at Microsoft, said during a June conference hosted by the Woodrow Wilson Center, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank.
One private solution is a set of common guidelines developed by the IEEE Standards Association, an industry trade organization. The trade association's voluntary standards is evidence of a fear of government regulation that the private sector is openly hostile to. During the June event, the idea of government regulation of smart devices was laughed at by private sector officials in the room. But that laughter may have been premature.
In September 2018, California Governor Jerry Brown approved a bill that requires companies to install connected devices with “a reasonable security feature” protecting it against unauthorized access. The bill means that the periodic table of disruptive technologies may eventually be impacted by a modicum of public regulation, although it is not clear if that will be effective.
Not making it any easier is that no amount of planning can compensate for every technological innovation. For example, when it comes to the most disruptive future technology, the chart is secretive. In position 100, predicted to be the most innovative idea, the chart says it is too dangerous to publish. “We can't talk about this one,” it reads.
In this instance, however, a potential security risk is averted. When asked if this technology is the one that will literally “break the internet,” Watson is forced to make a confession: “It's a joke. It's just us dodging the ball because we couldn't think of what to put there.”
Sur le même sujet
-
-
11 octobre 2019 | International, Terrestre
THEON SENSORS awarded program for NV binoculars for the U.S Marine Corps
Athens, 10 October 2019 - Press Release - THEON SENSORS conducted a press conference in Athens today, officially announcing the cooperation with ΗARRIS Night Vision USA (now ESA – Night Vision) and the joint-venture contract for the SBNVG solution towards the United States Marine Corps (USMC). THEON SENSORS in collaboration with its strategic ally HARRIS Night Vision USA (recently acquired by Elbit Systems of America) participated in an international tender issued by the US Marine Corps. The outcome of this tender (six submitted proposals) has been successful and resulted on a $249 million USD - 5 year IDIQ contract award, with expected more than 14,000 systems to be delivered. The contract was awarded by the US Department of Defense (see corresponding announcement: https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/1954307/) at the beginning of September 2019 with deliveries starting in spring 2020 and concluding in September 2024. THEON SENSORS, as a subcontractor, will provide to its American industrial partner its dedicated night vision binocular NYX in a Semi Knock Down Kit format, where final manufacturing and dissemination of the complete SBNVG solution will be performed at Roanoke Night Vision production facility. In addition, THEON SENSORS will provide its night vision accessories and spare parts throughout the contract term. This strategic collaboration of THEON SENSORS with its US partner and the recent award by the USMC for the Squad Binocular Night Vision Goggle (SBNVG) marks also a significant landmark, true success story among the Defense Exports and Cooperation of our countries. THEON SENSORS products are internationally considered and accepted as top ranked; based on their battle proven performance, high technical features, workmanship and quality that can satisfy demanding End Users of the 5Eyes countries (USA, Canada, U.K., Australia, New Zealand). View source version on THEON SENSORS: https://www.theon.com/medias/news/item/63-sbnvg-usmc
-
26 avril 2018 | International, Aérospatial
No stealth? No problem ― Eurofighter makes its pitch against F-35 in Berlin
By: Sebastian Sprenger BERLIN ― Eurofighter officials are downplaying the F-35 fighter′s stealth capability at the Berlin Air Show, positing that the consortium's non-stealthy Typhoon still beats out the American competition in the race to replace Germany's Tornado fleet. “Stealth is only 10 percent of the capability mix,” Eurofighter marketing chief Raffael Klaschke told Defense News on Wednesday. “We're still better at the other 90 percent,” he argued, referring to the aircraft's combat capabilities. While the company could rest easy with the German Defence Ministry's recent proclamation that the Eurofighter is the preferred path for the upcoming multibillion-dollar Tornado-replacement program, Lockheed Martin's massive showing at the air show may have some officials nervous. Eurofighter CEO Volker Paltzo doubled down on the argument that the Typhoon would guarantee continued vibrancy in the European military aircraft market. “I want to underscore that every euro spent on Eurofighter within Europe stays in Europe,” he told reporters. Executives also stressed that the European aircraft would come free of any “black boxes,” a reference to the expectation that all technological and operational details would be owned by Europeans, which may not be the case with the F-35. F-35 advocates have touted the fifth-generation aircraft's stealth and other advanced capabilities for deep-strike and standoff combat, and there are some in Germany, especially in the Air Force, who believe that European technology simply cannot compare. At the same time, whatever follow-on aircraft Berlin chooses for its 90-strong Tornado fleet is only expected to be a bridge toward a brand-new development, raising the question of whether a costly acquisition of the U.S. planes would be a worthwhile investment. Klaschke described stealth as a “niche capability,” adding with a nod to the F-35′s competition: “We're not scared.” Officials were less willing to discuss the expected nuclear-weapons capability of the Eurofighter, which it would pick up from the Tornado. Paltzo pointed to “confidentiality” in discussing the topic, referring to the Defence Ministry for information. What is clear, however, is that the Eurofighter will be able to carry forward Germany's pledge to deploy U.S. atomic arms at the behest of NATO, according to Paltzo. And while the U.S. Defense Department must certify the aircraft-weapon pairing, the CEO said he does not expect America to influence the fighter decision toward its own industry's product. “This is a subject where we would not expect leverage by the U.S. over the Eurofighter,” Paltzo said. https://www.defensenews.com/industry/2018/04/25/no-stealth-no-problem-eurofighter-makes-its-pitch-against-f-35-in-berlin/