| Center of Innovation: Science, Technology and Peacebuilding Weekly News Roundup, March 14 - 20, 2013 Table of Contents - Chinese Agency: U.S. Main Source of Cyberattacks on China State Websites (Bloomberg, 3/20/13)
- South Korea Banks and Broadcasters Hit by Possible Cyberattack (Washington Post, 3/20/13)
- Silicon, Iron, and Shadow (Foreign Policy, 3/19/13)
- New Smartphone App Lets Mexico City Cops Track Your Location (Wired, 3/18/13)
- The Destruction of a Nation: Syria's War Revealed in Satellite Imagery (TIME, 3/15/13)
- The Government's Cyber Vulnerability Database was Infected with Malware (Foreign Policy, 3/15/13)
- U.N. Drone Inquisitor Says It's Time to End Robot War in Pakistan (Wired, 3/15/13)
- Tech Guru Alec Ross Leaves the State Department (Foreign Policy, 3/14/13)
What's New from USIP Publications **Click here to subscribe to USIP's Media, Conflict and Peacebuilding News Roundup,
which includes a special section on Internet and social media.**
Chinese Agency: U.S. Main Source of Cyberattacks on China State Websites
The number of Chinese government websites targeted by hackers almost doubled last year to 3,016, with the largest number of attacks coming from the U.S., China's network security agency said in a report. Cyber attacks have become a priority for the U.S. after hacking on corporate networks were traced to China by American intelligence agencies and security firms such as Alexandria, Virginia-based Mandiant Corp.
See the full article (Bloomberg, 3/20/13)
[Return to top] South Korea Banks and Broadcasters Hit by Possible Cyberattack
South Korea said Wednesday that it was investigating the possibility of a North Korean cyberattack after the computer networks of three broadcasters and three banks were paralyzed. The government and military raised their vigilance against more possible disruptions. But they cautioned that it was still too early to point the finger at Pyongyang.
See the full article (Washington Post, Choe Sang-Hun, 3/20/13)
[Return to top] Silicon, Iron, and Shadow
The wars of the 21st century will be dominated by three overlapping types of conflict: Wars of Silicon, Wars of Iron, and Wars in the Shadows. The United States must design a new readiness and investment strategy in order to effectively deal with all three. Yet today it continues to pour scarce resources chiefly into its sphere of long-held dominance -- Wars of Iron. This is a potentially disastrous mistake, but one that can be corrected if we act now.
See the full article (Foreign Policy, David W. Barno, 3/19/13) *Foreign Policy sign-up may be required to view the full article
[Return to top] New Smartphone App Lets Mexico City Cops Track Your Location
Live in Mexico's largest city or plan on visiting sometime soon? The city's police force has created an app that tracks your location, and lets you contact local beat cops at the press of a button. But if you're concerned about giving the cops access to your data, keep it off your phone. If it's a success, it may help prevent drug violence from making inroads.
See the full article (Wired, Robert Beckhusen, 3/18/13)
[Return to top] The Destruction of a Nation: Syria's War Revealed in Satellite Imagery
The disintegration of a country is a hard thing to fathom. But it can be documented. DigitalGlobe, a commercial satellite company that provides high quality images of the earth, has been tracking the Syrian war with its technology; in some instances, it has been able to compare the ravaged status quo of Syria's present with the relative normalcy of a decade ago.
See the full article (TIME, Ishaan Tharoor, 3/15/13)
[Return to top] The Government's Cyber Vulnerability Database was Infected with Malware
The National Institute for Standards and Technology or NIST -- the government institute responsible for bringing together critical infrastructure providers to decide the minimum cyber security standards they should adhere to under President Obama's cyber security executive order -- had to take its list of cyber vulnerabilities offline after it was discovered to be infected with malware.
See the full article (Foreign Policy, John Reed, 3/15/13) *Foreign Policy sign-up may be required to view the full article
[Return to top] U.N. Drone Inquisitor Says It's Time to End Robot War in Pakistan
After days of meeting with Pakistani officials, the United Nations official investigating Washington's global campaign of drone strikes attacked the legal and strategic basis for the robotic war in its biggest battlefield. And he raised doubts over whether Americans operating the drones can actually distinguish terrorists from average Pakistanis.
See the full article (Wired, Spencer Ackerman, 3/15/13)
[Return to top] Tech Guru Alec Ross Leaves the State Department
The State Department's first-ever special advisor for innovation, Alec Ross, has stepped down and returned to the private sector after a four-year effort to bring diplomacy into the 21st century. Ross looked back proudly on the work his office did to help Syrian rebels restore communications and communicate securely after the revolution started and avoid persecution by the Assad regime.
See the full article (Foreign Policy, Josh Rogin, 3/14/13) *Foreign Policy sign-up may be required to view the full article
[Return to top] What's New from USIP Publications Adapting Agricultural Extension to Peacebuilding
Can agricultural extension agents, already closely integrated into local communities, contribute to peacebuilding in countries beset by conflict? On May 1, 2012, the U.S. Institute of Peace and the National Academy of Engineering convened a workshop to explore the organizational modifications and enhanced skill and technical capacities needed to make this potentially life-changing transition.
See the full book
[Return to top] Using Data Sharing to Improve Coordination in Peacebuilding
On May 23, 2012, the U.S. Institute of Peace and the National Academy of Engineering held a workshop to identify needs a data sharing system must address to successfully manage peacebuilding activities. Coordination is a challenge, and together experts in peacebuilding, information technology, and inter-agency collaboration discussed the technological, ethical and organizational challenges standing in the way of widespread adoption.
See the full book
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