United States Cyber Readiness at a Glance

Washington, D.C. – The Potomac Institute for Policy Studies (PIPS) is pleased to announce the release of the “United States Cyber Readiness at a Glance,” the first of a series of country reports assessing national-level preparedness for cyber risks based on the Cyber Readiness Index (CRI) 2.0 methodology. This first report provides an extensive analysis of the United States’ cyber security-related efforts and capabilities.

Japan Cyber Readiness at a Glance

>Washington, D.C. – The Potomac Institute for Policy Studies (PIPS) is pleased to announce the release of the “Japan Cyber Readiness at a Glance,” the second of a series of country reports assessing national-level preparedness for cyber risks based on the Cyber Readiness Index (CRI) 2.0 methodology. This report provides an extensive analysis of Japan’s cyber security-related efforts and capabilities, and follows a similar report on the United States' commitment and maturity to closing the gap between its current cyber security posture and the national cyber capabilities needed to support its digital future.

 

France Cyber Readiness at a Glance

Washington, D.C. – The Potomac Institute for Policy Studies (PIPS) is pleased to announce the release of the “France Cyber Readiness at a Glance,” the third of a series of country reports assessing national-level preparedness for cyber risks based on the Cyber Readiness Index (CRI) 2.0 methodology. This report provides an extensive analysis of France's cyber security-related efforts and capabilities, and follows similar reports of other G7 countries evaluating their commitment and maturity to closing the gap between their current cyber security posture and the national cyber capabilities needed to support their digital future.

 

 

Italy Cyber Readiness at a Glance

Washington, D.C. – The Potomac Institute for Policy Studies (PIPS) is pleased to announce the release of the “Italy Cyber Readiness at a Glance,” the sixth of a series of country reports assessing national-level preparedness for cyber risks based on the Cyber Readiness Index (CRI) 2.0 methodology. This report provides an extensive analysis of Italian cyber security-related efforts and capabilities, and follows similar reports of other G7 countries evaluating their commitment and maturity to closing the gap between their current cyber security posture and the national cyber capabilities needed to support their digital future.

 

India Cyber Readiness at a Glance

Washington, D.C. – The Potomac Institute for Policy Studies (PIPS) is pleased to announce the release of the “India Cyber Readiness at a Glance,” the seventh of a series of country reports assessing national-level preparedness for cyber risks based on the Cyber Readiness Index (CRI) 2.0 methodology. This report provides an extensive analysis of Indian cyber security-related efforts and capabilities, and evaluates the country's commitment and maturity to closing the gap between its current cyber security posture and the national cyber capabilities needed to support its digital future.

 

The Netherlands Cyber Readiness at a Glance

Washington, D.C. / The Hague – The Potomac Institute for Policy Studies (PIPS) and the Dutch Government are pleased to announce the release of “The Netherlands Cyber Readiness at a Glance,” the latest study in a series of country reports assessing national-level preparedness for cyber risks based on the Cyber Readiness Index (CRI) 2.0 methodology. This report provides the most in-depth analysis to date of the Netherlands’ current cyber security posture and its efforts to strengthen the country’s security and resilience in the face of emerging ICT threats.

 

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Cyber Readiness at a Glance

Washington, D.C. – The Potomac Institute for Policy Studies (PIPS) is pleased to announce the release of the "Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Cyber Readiness at a Glance," the ninth of a series of country reports assessing national-level preparedness for cyber risks based on the Cyber Readiness Index (CRI) 2.0 methodology. This report provides an extensive analysis of Saudi Arabia's cyber security-related efforts and capabilities, and evaluates the country's commitment and maturity to closing the gap between its current cyber security posture and the national cyber capabilities needed to support its digital future.

This profile has now been translated into Arabic. Click here to download the Arabic translation. 

 

Germany Cyber Readiness at a Glance

Washington, D.C. – The Potomac Institute for Policy Studies (PIPS) is pleased to announce the release of the “Germany Cyber Readiness at a Glance,” the fourth of a series of country reports assessing national-level preparedness for cyber risks based on the Cyber Readiness Index (CRI) 2.0 methodology. This report provides an extensive analysis of Germany's cyber security-related efforts and capabilities, and follows similar reports of other G7 countries evaluating their commitment and maturity to closing the gap between their current cyber security posture and the national cyber capabilities needed to support their digital future.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Kingdom of Morocco Cyber Readiness at a Glance

Washington, D.C. – The Potomac Institute for Policy Studies (PIPS) is pleased to announce the release of the "Kingdom of Morocco Cyber Readiness at a Glance," the tenth of a series of country reports assessing national-level preparedness for cyber risks based on the Cyber Readiness Index (CRI) 2.0 methodology. This report provides an extensive analysis of Morocco’s cyber security-related efforts and capabilities, and evaluates the country's commitment and maturity to closing the gap between its current cyber security posture and the national cyber capabilities needed to support its digital future.

The Potomac Institute for Policy Studies (PIPS) and GLOBSEC Policy Institute are pleased to announce the release of the "Slovak Republic Cyber Readiness at a Glance," the latest study in a series of country reports assessing national-level preparedness for cyber risks based on the Cyber Readiness Index 2.0(CRI) methodology. This report provides the most in-depth analysis to date of Slovakia’s current cyber security posture and its efforts to strengthen the country's security and resilience in the face of emerging ICT threats.

This joint project between PIPS and GLOBSEC marked the first time that the CRI 2.0 methodology was applied to a Central and Eastern European country. As Melissa Hathaway, CRI leading author, stated: “We are glad to have had such an important partner as GLOBSEC in this region to develop a Cyber Readiness Index profile for Slovakia. This was an important evaluation to undertake because Slovakia is a strategic member of the EU, NATO, and the Visegrád Group alliances, and has a critical location in Central-Eastern Europe. As the first profile in the Visegrád Group, we hope it will pave the way for more countries in the region to understand the value of such an analysis.”

According to the CRI 2.0 assessment, Slovakia is still in the early stages of developing a path toward cyber resilience and cyber readiness. The Slovak government launched important political and economic reforms to accelerate Slovakia’s development, connectivity, and digital economic growthin the early 2000s, and recognized the need to become cyber ready as early as 2008. The call to action from NATO and the EU to address the national security and economic risks of cyber insecurity has further sharpened Slovakia’s focus toward cyber defense. The challenge, however, is that these two sets of goals – digital growth and national cyber security – are still being executed by separate entities. The digitization of the country and the digital economic priorities (aligning Slovakia to the EU Single Digital Market) are being led by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for Investments and Informatization. Whereas the cyber resilience and cyber defense priorities of the country are being led by the National Security Authority (NBU). Slovakia needs to better align its initiatives to meet the expectations of the international institutions and its business community, and champion the cyber security and resilience considerations as part of the country’s overall planning process.

The CRI 2.0 report for Slovakia identifies areas where policymakers can alter or refine the country’s current posture by leveraging or updating laws, policies, standards, market levers, etc., and implementing other initiatives to preserve the security of their connectivity and protect the value of their economy. Slovakia economically desires to reach the same growth level of countries such as Hungary, Finland, Sweden, and Estonia, where the digital economy already accounts for 5 to 5.5% of their GDP. The NBU has a critical role in enhancing the country’s cyber posture strategically. As the national competent authority for cyber security, it has the opportunity to frame the national narrative and articulate why a whole-of-government approach is needed to reduce economic and societal risk. Establishing clear lines of accountability and responsibility, and successfully achieving each milestone set forth in their strategies will allow Slovakia to establish credibility and foster confidence in the country’s ability to ensure its future safety, security, and economic wellbeing.

The report was made possible through funding by the Slovak’s Deputy Prime Minister’s Office and includes interviews with Slovak Government officials and other EU and NATO experts. As Deputy Prime Minister Richard Raši stated: “Building an adequate standard of cyber security at national level is a long-term and systematic process. We are aware of this fact in our Office and, therefore, our cyber security strategy is based on creating and developing staffing capacities, systematic awareness-raising, and evolutionary changes in ICT governance in public administration.”

Robert Vass, President and Founder of GLOBSEC, added: “We are very pleased to have partnered with the CRI team at the Potomac Institute on this important project. For Slovakia, cybersecurity must be a priority, and this is the most comprehensive cyber readiness mapping exercise done on the country to date. It has been GLOBSEC’s aim since its inception to provide a better understanding of global security threats and their consequences for society and governance. The CRI 2.0 country profile for Slovakia does just that.”

United Kingdom Cyber Readiness at a Glance

Washington, D.C. – The Potomac Institute for Policy Studies (PIPS) is pleased to announce the release of the “United Kingdom Cyber Readiness at a Glance,” the fifth of a series of country reports assessing national-level preparedness for cyber risks based on the Cyber Readiness Index (CRI) 2.0 methodology. This report provides an extensive analysis of the United Kingdom's cyber security-related efforts and capabilities, and follows similar reports of other G7 countries evaluating their commitment and maturity to closing the gap between their current cyber security posture and the national cyber capabilities needed to support their digital future.

 

 

 

 

 

The CRI country profiles (France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the United States) have been translated into Chinese.  Many thanks to the Shanghai Institute for International Studies (SIIS) for their translation and publication.  Please click here to download.

The Cyber Readiness Index 2.0 shows that few countries have aligned their national economic vision (digital agenda) with their national security agenda, and seeks to incentivize this alignment by bringing attention to each country's Internet-infrastructure dependencies and vulnerabilities, and the national economic erosion caused by cyber insecurity. The CRI 2.0 builds on the Cyber Readiness Index 1.0 and provides a comprehensive, comparative, experience-based methodology to evaluate countries' commitment and maturity to closing the gap between their current cyber security posture and the national cyber capabilities needed to support their digital future.

The CRI 2.0 methodology is available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish, and is currently being applied to 125 countries. The resulting country reports are based on over seventy unique indicators across seven essential elements to discern operationally ready activities and identify areas for improvement in the following categories: national strategy, incident response, e-crime and law enforcement, information sharing, investment in research and development (R&D), diplomacy and trade, and defense and crisis response. 

The CRI country profiles of France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the United States can be found at the following link: https://potomacinstitute.org/academic-centers/cyber-readiness-index.

Melissa Hathaway is a leading expert in cyberspace policy and cyber security. She served in two US presidential administrations, spearheading the Cyberspace Policy Review for President Barack Obama and leading the Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative (CNCI) for President George W. Bush. Today, she is a Senior Fellow and a member of the Board of Re-gents at Potomac Institute for Policy Studies. She is also a Senior Advisor at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, a Distinguished Fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation in Canada, a non-resident Research Fellow at the Kos-ciuszko Institute in Poland, and she is President of Hathaway Global Strategies LLC, her own consultancy. Melissa developed a unique methodology for evaluating and measuring national levels of preparedness for certain cyber security risks, known as the Cyber Readiness Index (CRI). The CRI methodology is available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish, and is being applied to 125 countries. The CRI country profiles of France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, and the United States can be found at the following link: http://www.potomacinstitute.org/academic-centers/cyber-readiness-index.  . Having served on the board of directors for two public companies and three non-profit organizations, and as a strategic advisor to a number of public and private companies, Melissa brings a unique combination of policy and technical expertise, as well as board room experience to help others better understand the intersection of government policy, devel-oping technological and industry trends, and economic drivers that impact acquisition and business development strategy in this field. She publishes regularly on cyber security matters affecting companies and countries. Most of her articles can be found at the following website: http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/experts/2132/melissa_hathaway.html

February 2014

Best Practices in Computer Network Defense: Incident Detection and Response

Book

By Melissa Hathaway, Senior Advisor, Project on Technology, Security, and Conflict in the Cyber Age

The cyber security of vital infrastructure and services has become a major concern for countries worldwide. The members of NATO are no exception, and they share a responsibility to help the global community to strengthen its cyber defenses against malicious cyber activity. This book presents 10 papers and 21 specific findings from the NATO Advanced Research Workshop (ARW) "Best Practices in Computer Network Defense (CND): Incident Detection and Response", held in Geneva, Switzerland, in September 2013.

 

May 14, 2013

“Change the Conversation, Change the Venue and Change Our Future”

Commentary, Centre for International Governance Innovation

By: Melissa Hathaway, President of Hathaway Global Strategies LLC

"The G20 has an opportunity to articulate a vision for shaping the Internet economy for the next five to 10 years. The power of the leadership of this body, combined with its ability to assemble and speak to a simple, positive narrative for cybersecurity anchored in our collective economic well-being (and GDP growth), could be a watershed event. The GDP erosion that all nations are suffering places cybersecurity within the legitimate processes and 'architecture' of international economic governance. By changing the conversation to being about the economy and growth, this approach would enable the G20 to de-escalate the militarization and balkanization of the Internet."

 

2012

“Leadership and Responsibility for Cybersecurity”

Journal Article, Georgetown Journal of International Affairs

By: Melissa Hathaway, President of Hathaway Global Strategies LLC

"Policy makers, legislators, and businessmen should assess the gap between the current defense posture and our needed front line defense in the face of an increasingly sophisticated range of actors. This paper describes a series of case studies that highlight the lack of attention being paid to this serious problem and the subsequent policy and technology solutions that are being brought to bear to close the gap."

 

December 2012

“Preliminary Considerations: On National Cyber Security”

Book Chapter

By: Melissa Hathaway

In this chapter, Melissa Hathaway and Alexander Klimburg introduce three conceptual tools to help focus the strategic context and debate. These are termed the "three dimensions," the "five mandates," and the "five dilemmas" of national cyber security. Each dimension, mandate and dilemma will play a varying role in each nation's attempt to formulate and execute a national cyber security strategy according to their specific conditions.

 

February 2012

“Falling Prey to Cybercrime: Implications for Business and the Economy”

Book Chapter

By: Melissa Hathaway, President Hathaway Global Strategies LLC

As American businesses, inventors, and artists market, sell, and distribute their products worldwide via the Internet, the threat from criminals and criminal organizations who want to profit illegally from their hard work grows. The threat from other nations wanting to jump start their industries without making the intellectual investment is even more disturbing. This fleecing of America must stop. We can no longer afford complacency and silence—we must find and use as many market levers as possible to change the path we are on.

 

Spring 2012

“Internet Service Providers are the Front Line of Cyber-defence”

Magazine Article, Europe’s World

By: Melissa Hathaway, Former acting senior director of cyber space, U.S. National Security Council

"What is needed is a holistic approach by governments around the world, with policies, laws and regulatory frameworks that support the communications sector and ISPs as they provide security to ensure the internet remains a public good."

 

March 2012

“Duties for Internet Service Providers”

Paper, Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto

By: Melissa Hathaway and John E. Savage

In today's interconnected world, the Internet is no longer a tool. Rather, it is a service that helps generate income and employment, provides access to business and information, enables e-learning, and facilitates government activities. It is an essential service that has been integrated into every part of our society. Our experience begins when an Internet Service Provider (ISP) uses fixed telephony (plain old telephone service), mobile-cellular telephony, or fixed fiber-optic or broadband service to connect us to the global network. From that moment on, the ISP shoulders the responsibility for the instantaneous, reliable, and secure movement of our data over the Internet.

 

November 2011

“NATO and the EU in Cyberspace: The Power of Both for the Good of All”

Magazine Article, Security Europe

By: Melissa Hathaway, Former acting senior director of cyber space, U.S. National Security Council

By combining the power of both institutions, everyone could achieve economies of scale and a stronger defensive cyber posture.

 

October 2011

“Taking a Byte Out of Cybercrime”

Paper, Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program, Belfer Center

By: Melissa Hathaway

"Cybersecurity is a means to enable social stability and promote digital democracy; a method by which to govern the Internet; and a process by which to secure critical infrastructure from cybercrime, cyberespionage, cyberterrorism and cyberwar. As nations and corporations recognize their dependence on ICT, policymakers must find the proper balance in protecting their investments without strangling future growth."

 

September 28, 2011

“Dim Prospects for Cybersecurity Law in 2011”

Magazine Article, GovInfoSecurity.com

By: Melissa Hathaway

"If Congress focuses its efforts on the areas where members appear to agree reform is needed, then it is possible that a cybersecurity bill will finally become a law. The proposals, if adopted, will make incremental change and a small difference in our cybersecurity posture. Bolder steps are needed but are unlikely to be taken given the combination of this fiscally constrained environment, politically divided Congress and the upcoming presidential election cycle."

 

2011

“Creating the Demand Curve for Cybersecurity”

Journal Article, Georgetown Journal of International Affairs

By: Melissa Hathaway

The Executive Branch faces numerous complex challenges in a variety of domestic and international arenas. Strengthening our information security posture is certainly one of them, and the Administration must take a bold approach to accomplishing this end. The author presents a unique strategy for strengthening cybersecurity, recommending that the Executive Branch should call upon three independent regulatory agencies — the SEC, FCC, and FTC — to support our information infrastructure and protect American enterprise.

 

March 1, 2011

“Cyber Policy: A National Imperative”

Presentation, Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program, Belfer Center

By: Melissa Hathaway, Senior Advisor Belfer Center

Explorations in Cyber International Relations Senior Advisor Melissa Hathaway discusses the current state of U.S. cybersecurity policies and outlines several new recommendations for Congress and the Executive Branch to enact in this Congressional briefing on March 1, 2011.

 

November 2010

“Cybersecurity: The U.S. Legislative Agenda Part II”

Presentation

By: Melissa Hathaway, Senior Advisor Belfer Center

In this briefing, Melissa Hathaway updates her May 2010 briefing on more than 50 pieces of legislation that are being debated in the 111th Congress. She highlights recent congressional activity, including the release of three Government Accounting Office studies and the introduction of thirteen new pieces of legislation.

 

November 18, 2010

“Toward a Closer Digital Alliance”

Journal Article, SAIS Review

By: Melissa Hathaway

Countries will need to reconcile the facts that their Internet infrastructures are vulnerable and less resilient to attack and that their economic dependence on the Internet makes cooperation between countries on cybersecurity issues essential. Disparate and uncoordinated cyber defense schemes could adversely affect individual and collective security, privacy, usability, transparency, speed, and interoperability. Much tighter alignment and better integration of European and NATO initiatives with national laws, policies, and funding priorities is necessary to counteract threats against national networks and infrastructure. Only through international cooperation and private-public partnerships can cyber defense measures succeed.

 

October 14, 2010

“Digital Dependence: Cybersecurity in the 21st Century”

Presentation

By: Melissa Hathaway, Senior Advisor Belfer Center

In this briefing, Melissa Hathaway highlights the history of the Internet and the tensions between economic and national security goals.

 

October 2010

“Power Hackers: The U.S. Smart Grid Is Shaping Up to Be Dangerously Insecure”

Magazine Article, Scientific American

By: Melissa Hathaway

President Barack Obama's talk about the need for a "smart grid" sounds smart, writes Melissa Hathaway. "What's not to like about the idea of an electricity grid that can work at top efficiency?" It would "vastly improve the reliability, availability and efficiency of the electric system." However, she argues, "as currently envisaged...it's a dangerously dumb idea. The problem is cybersecurity."

 

June 10, 2010

“Beyond Availability: Melissa Hathaway on the Cloud”

Analysis & Opinions, GovInfoSecurity.com

By: Melissa Hathaway

Melissa Hathaway writes that the key tenet of cloud computing is availability. But where are the other cornerstones of information security: integrity and confidentiality? She suggests five key questions CIOs and CISOs should ask.

 

May 29, 2010

“The Cybersecurity Changes We Need”

Analysis & opinions, The Washington Post

By: Melissa Hathaway and Jack L. Goldsmith

"There is widespread agreement that this long-term trend of grabbing the economic gains from information technology advances and ignoring their security costs has reached a crisis point," write Melissa Hathaway and Jack Goldsmith. "As we progress digitally, we must also adopt and embed sometimes-costly security solutions into our core infrastructures and enterprises and stop playing the game of chance."

 

May 17, 2010

“Cybersecurity: The U.S. Legislative Agenda”

Presentation

By: Melissa Hathaway, Senior Advisor Belfer Center

In this briefing, Melissa Hathaway provides an analysis of more than 40 pieces of legislation that are being debated in the 111th Congress.

 

May 7, 2010

“Why Successful Partnerships are Critical for Promoting Cybersecurity”

Analysis & Opinions

By: Melissa Hathaway

"Our most important resource right now is time. Targeted attacks on industry are increasing and our defensive posture remains weak. While a sense of urgency is rising, I am afraid that we will see more partnerships emerge rather than consolidated efforts and investments across executive branch agencies or industry verticals. We cannot afford to wait and see who will lead and who will follow."

 

December 21, 2009

“Five Myths About Cybersecurity”

Analysis & Opinions

By: Melissa Hathaway

"While many understand the opportunities created through this shared global infrastructure, known as cyberspace, few Americans understand the threats presented in cyberspace, which regularly arise at individual, organizational and state (or societal) levels. And these are not small threats: a paper presented earlier this year at the World Economic Forum in Davos Switzerland estimated the total losses associated with cybercrime in 2008 exceeded one trillion dollars and the FBI has declared cybercrime to be its highest criminal priority."

 

November 25, 2009

“A Safe Harbor for our Foes”

Analysis & Opinions, The Washington Times

By: Melissa Hathaway

"In a time where we discuss and debate border protection from in-bound missiles or illegal immigrants, we fail to address the stark reality of the threat that transgresses our borders daily. This threat is present in the Internet...."

 

October 2009

“Strategic Advantage: Why America Should Care About Cybersecurity”

Discussion Paper

By: Melissa Hathaway

The internet is an interconnected series of networks--where it is difficult to determine where private security threats end and public ones begin.  These networks deliver power and water to our households and businesses, enable us to access our bank accounts from almost any city in the world, and transform the way our doctors provide healthcare.  For all of these reasons, we need a safe Internet with a strong network infrastructure.

 

Fall 2008

“Cyber Security: An Economic and National Security Crisis”

Journal Article, Intelligencer

By: Melissa Hathaway, Senior Advisor to the Director of National Intelligence and Cyber Coordination Executive

"It is no longer sufficient for the U.S. government to discover cyber intrusions in its networks, clean up the damage, and take legal or political steps to deter further intrusions. The U.S. must take action to protect the critical components upon which our economy, government, and national security are based from potential exploitation, disruption or destruction."

 

Francesca Spidalieri is the co-principal investigator on the Cyber Readiness Index Project at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies. She also serves as the Senior Fellow for Cyber Leadership at the Pell Center, at Salve Regina University, as a Distinguished Fellow at the Ponemon Institute, and as 2017 Transatlantic Digital Debates Fellow at New America and at the Global Public Policy Institute. Her academic research and publications focus on cyber leadership development, cyber risk management, cyber education, and cyber security workforce develop-ment. In 2015, she published a report, entitled State of the States on Cybersecurity, that applies the Cyber Readiness Index 1.0 at the US state level. All her additional studies and academic articles can be found at the following link: http://pellcenter.org/cyber-leadership/

Publications:

"State of the States on Cyber Security,"

"One Leader at a Time: The Failure to Educate Future Leaders for an Age of Persistent Cyber Threat,"

"Joint Professional Military Education Institutions in an Age of Cyber Threat,"

“Professionalization of Cybersecurity: A Path to Universal Standards and Status,”