Featured Analysis
History Made: Government Hacks Your Systems To Remove Malware
For those of us practitioners in the cybersecurity space who have tracked policy concepts, one that has been around forever is the idea that good guys from government may one day need to take action in privately owned computers. Since the late 1990’s, concepts have been considered like the idea of a self propagating piece of good code (a worm) that would gain access to infected computers and patch them or take other action to fight bad guys in privately owned computers. Now for what seems to be the first time in history the US had done this (previously court orders had been issued to do things like send kill commands to a botnet, but this is bigger, it is fixing computers!). Views on what this may mean are provided here.
OODA On Corporate Intelligence In The New Age
We strongly encourage every company, large or small, to set aside dedicated time to focus on ways to improve your ability to understand the nature of the significantly changed risk environment we are all operating in today, and then assess how your organizational thinking should change.
As an aid to assessing your corporate sensemaking abilities, this post summarizes OODA’s research and analysis into optimizing corporate intelligence for the modern age.
What’s the China-Arab State Data Security Pact Really Mean?
Beijing’s March 2021 China and Arab States Data Security Agreement is supposed to strengthen cooperation in communications and information technology. While details have yet been published, the document focuses on ensuring the integrity of data and production chains that drive the digital economy. This is not the first time that China and the Arab nations have collaborated, having engaged one another in emerging technologies like 5G and artificial intelligence. However, it is noteworthy as this partnership makes the Middle East the first region to have engaged in a data security initiative with China, according to China’s Foreign Minister.
OODAcast: Ray Wang, CEO and Founder of Constellation Research, On The Business Impact of Technology
In this week’s OODAcast we interview Ray Wang, CEO of Constellation Research. Ray is a great leader, evidenced by the people he has attracted to his firm. I know many of his team and can say for a fact that they are people who can do just about anything they want (which means they are in a position to pick their boss). Ray is also an entrepreneur, and in this OODAcast provides context anyone thinking of starting out on their own should consider. One of many anecdotes he provided was an insightful recap of a conversation he had with his then boss at Forrester Research, George Forrester Colony, which made it clear to Ray that he faced a choice. He could work at a place that wanted to motivate him to be as average as possible or he could go out on his own and create his future himself. It takes a type of bravery to do what Ray did next, a type of bravery very likely at the core of any entrepreneur.
C-Suite Considerations Regarding Current Geopolitical Tensions
Something is different in the geopolitical situation today. The reasons are probably a combination of factors that include the pandemic, the rise of the global grid of cyberspace, plus the payoff of years of planning and strategic moves by our adversaries. But whatever the reasons, the world today is more complicated and more dangerous than the world of just a year ago, and in many cases the risks being faced by open societies have never been seen before. The changes are so significant, OODA recommends all business leaders take stock of the geopolitical situation and assess how the nature of these changes should impact your business strategy.
“The world is a more dangerous and complicated place than it was just a year ago. Your corporate strategy and defensive posture needs to reflect that”
