National Cyber Research Articles

Formation of the TNI Cyber Force: A Strategic and Policy Analysis

The increasing cyber threats in Indonesia require strengthening the country's defense strategy. This study focuses on the formation of the Indonesian National Army (TNI) Cyber Force as part of efforts to strengthen the country's cyber security in facing increasingly complex threats. The purpose of this study is to analyze the policy and strategy for the formation of the TNI Cyber Force and evaluate the synergy between institutions, especially with the National Cyber ​​and Crypto Agency (BSSN). This study uses a qualitative method with a secondary data analysis approach, including reports from Fortinet, AwanPintar.id, and national policy documents related to cybersecurity. The research findings show that the TNI Cyber Force has a crucial role in protecting Indonesia's critical infrastructure from the threat of botnets, ransomware, and other cyber-attacks. The synergy between the TNI and BSSN is key to building an effective cyber defense system. Although there has been an increase in cyber readiness, this study found that challenges still exist, including in terms of human resources and the technology used. In conclusion, the formation of the TNI Cyber Force is an important step in dealing with cyber threats, but there needs to be further strengthening in cross-sector coordination and adoption of the latest technology.

To Study on Cyber Crime Burgeoning in India and Crucial Actions Need for Every Cybercrime Victim

India is facing a great deal of challenges due to the rapid digitalization and broad adoption of technology in many different areas. One such concern is cybercrime. In this paper explores the nature, scope, and impact of cybercrime in the Indian context. The rising ubiquity of internet usage has rendered people, companies, and governmental organizations more susceptible to a range of cyber threats, such as identity theft, financial fraud, data breaches, and cyber harassment. Despite developments in cyber security protection, the lack of awareness and poor regulatory frameworks has aggravated the situation. To address these issues, the Indian government has put in place a number of efforts, including the National Cyber Security Policy and the Information Technology Act, 2000. But enforcement is still patchy, and a lot of crimes go unreported or ignored. The problem has been made worse by insufficient regulatory frameworks and a lack of knowledge, even in spite of advances in cyber security measures. But enforcement is still patchy, and a lot of crimes go unreported or ignored. This research paper emphasizes India's cybercrime victims have several legal options, the need for a multimodal strategy that includes improved cyber security infrastructure, better legislative frameworks and greater public awareness in order to tackle cybercrime. In light of the transnational character of cyber threats, it also highlights the significance of international cooperation. In the end, a thorough plan is necessary to protect India's digital environment and guarantee the security and safety of its people in a world that is becoming more interconnected by the day

Cybersecurity in Critical Infrastructure: Defending Against Nation-State Groups

Cyber-attacks on critical infrastructure can be disastrous and undermine states' national security. Different groups execute these attacks for varying reasons; some may be state-sponsored, and their attack for geopolitical reasons or to achieve strategic national cyber objectives. Regardless of the nation-state actor, it is essential to identify the techniques used and defend critical infrastructure against these attacks. This study evaluated the attack methodology of five nation-state actors based on the MITRE ATT&CK ICS matrix and proposed a multi-layered defense architecture. A virtual organization with critical and enterprise infrastructure domains was created, and the proposed defense architecture and tooling were implemented there. Then, techniques of the nation-state adversaries were emulated against the infrastructure to evaluate the performance of the defense strategies. The results show that the multi-layered approach was sufficient to mitigate all the techniques of the nation-state actors.

Impact of Internet and mobile communication on cyber resilience: A multivariate adaptive regression spline modeling approach

The spread of broadband Internet and the availability of mobile communication services expand access to digital services for businesses and the public alike. However, at the same time, it aggravates the problem of ensuring digital space security, protection against cyber threats, and the fight against cybercrime. This research aims to calculate the index of a country's resilience to cyber-hacking for 143 countries, to divide these countries into groups based on this resilience (high, above-average, average, below-average, and low), compare these results with those obtained on the basis of National Cyber Security Index (NCSI), and to identify the impact of the Internet and mobile communication prevalence in a country on this level. The selection of the countries is based on the availability of statistical data for 2022 in the databases of the Surfshark VPN service, and the International Telecommunication Union. The integral index of a country's resilience to cyber-hacking is calculated through the multiplicative convolution (with weighted geometric mean) of the number of breached accounts, the Internet penetration probability (penetration into users’ data through the Internet), and the breach density per thousand users. The influence of active mobile broadband subscriptions (per 100 inhabitants), mobile broadband basket (% of Gross National Income Per Capita), mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 inhabitants), and total fixed broadband subscriptions on the integral index of a country's resilience to cyber-hacking is investigated using multivariate adaptive regression spline. According to the calculations, France, Iceland, Montenegro, the United States, and the United Arab Emirates were the least resistant to cyber hacking in 2022. For countries with high, above-average, and below-average levels of resilience to cyber-hacking, the most relevant factor is the number of active mobile broadband subscriptions (per 100 inhabitants). For countries with an average level, it is total fixed broadband subscriptions.

WEBSITE SECURITY ANALYSIS CURUG VILLAGE GOVERNMENT USING OPEN WEB APPLICATION SECURITY PROJECT (OWASP)

Cybersecurity has become a crucial issue in the current digital era, especially for government websites that are often targeted by attacks. According to the National Cyber and Crypto Agency (BSSN), government websites are vulnerable to hacking. This study aims to analyze the security of the Curug Village Government website using the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP). The analysis was conducted on the ten main categories of web application security vulnerabilities listed in OWASP Top 10 2021, including Broken Access Control, Cryptographic Failures, Injection, Insecure Design, Security Misconfiguration, Vulnerable and Outdated Components, Identification and Authentication Failures, Software and Data Integrity Failures, Security Logging and Monitoring Failures, and Server-side Request Forgery. The results of the testing showed that 4 out of 8 vulnerabilities fall into the OWASP TOP 10 for 2021, particularly in the categories of Injection and Security Misconfiguration. Recommendations for improvements are provided based on these findings, which are expected to help the Curug Village Government strengthen their cybersecurity.

Implications of cyber incident reporting obligations on multinational organizations headquartered in Switzerland

As the digital landscape evolves, states are increasingly implementing national cyber incident reporting obligations to enhance cyber resilience. This study investigates the implications of these obligations on multinational organizations, focusing on the variability of compliance requirements across jurisdictions and the challenges faced by companies in adhering to these diverse regulations. Through the methodological approach of conducting interviews with cybersecurity experts across various sectors, this study points out the growing complexity in cybersecurity incident reporting obligations. Findings reveal that companies employ multiple strategies to report to regulators, monitor regulatory changes, and educate employees responsible for reporting. However, maintaining compliance is identified as a significant challenge across all sectors, leading to calls for the standardization of regulations and the improvement of automation solutions. Given the lack of research in this area, this work lays the groundwork for future research, opening new avenues for investigation into the potential standardization and automation of cyber incident reporting processes.

Policy and Infrastructure for Data Privacy and Data Protection in South Indian States: Issues and Prospects

In the 21st century, data privacy, data protection and cybersecurity have become challenging issues with increasing cases of data breaches and data disasters. Data privacy has emerged as one of the challenging issues after numerous cases of data breaches and manipulations in many departments, agencies, bodies and organisations in every country. A well-designed data framework may enable not just secure data privacy/protection but also enable users’ control over data through a protective and safe system to share data across organisations, leading to individual empowerment and well-being. In India, privacy still remains a complex area, which has affected data safety and protection. A number of government websites clearly mention that data will not be shared with anyone until and unless for the purpose enshrined so far. In India, there have been various policies, guidelines, strategies and initiatives for cybersecurity, data privacy, data protection and data measures, including the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023; the National Cyber Security Policy, 2013; the Information Technology Act 2000; the Information Technology (Amendment) Act, 2008; the Information Technology Rules, 2011 and so on. This article tries to examine policies/regulations for data privacy, data protection and data safety in South Indian states.

Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) and Cyber Schooling: An Exploratory Study

ABSTRACT Research has established the importance of social-emotional learning (SEL) in traditional public schools, but not cyber schools. In this correlational regression study, we use students (n = 18,206) from a national cyber charter school network to examine whether items in the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL) SEL index inter-correlate in cyber schools, and whether CASEL has statistical relationships with club membership, synchronous class attendance, and academic outcomes. Cross sectional analyses find that for cyber charter students, CASEL individual items correlate with each other, and that CASEL from 1st semester (T1) to 2nd semester (T2) correlates at .63; thus, CASEL may have reasonable reliability for cyber students. Yet, in contrast to physical schools, CASEL does not correlate with SEL-related variables like club attendance and synchronous class attendance and has a weak (though positive) relationship with cumulative grade point average (GPA), suggesting important differences from its application in physical schools. Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regressions examining SEL associations with relevant demographic intersectional characteristics reveal that Black students perform similarly to other students, but that Free and Reduced Meal (FARM) and especially Individualized Education Plan (IEP) students have lower measured SEL. Using OLS regression to examine relationships between students’ GPA and demographic characteristics (controlling for CASEL) show that generally, FARM and IEP students have lower GPA, but Black students have the same mean GPA as others, and Black students with IEPs actually have higher than average GPAs. We discuss implications and directions for future research.

Estimating the vulnerability of industrial network infrastructure in Central and Eastern Europe

Industrial infrastructure has suffered an unprecedented number of attacks in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). This situation can be attributed to many geopolitical factors, including hybrid military conflicts and criminal activity. Industrial networks belonging to the countries that were once under Soviet influence suffer from an elevated risk of cyberattacks. The goal of this work is to propose an easy way to estimate the vulnerabilities of industrial networks to cyber threats on a national level. Since analysis of the industrial vulnerability landscape is difficult, this study proposes an assessment based on the popularity of vulnerable technologies—VPc. This metric is composed of search volume data on keywords related to industrial network technologies and reported security vulnerabilities associated with these words. Data on 116 keywords was analysed and a country-specific VPc index was calculated for twenty states in CEE. The analysis of the popularity of industrial technologies and vendors in CEE reveals interesting information about the industrial security and vulnerability landscape. The results show that some countries (e.g. Estonia) have more resilient industrial infrastructure than others (e.g. Belarus). The results presented in this study are not in conflict with other data and estimation attempts, including the National Cyber Security Index (NCSI). As new vulnerabilities are noted every day, the industrial security landscape changes rapidly. Therefore, a new easy-to-use metric (VPc) can be successfully used for general estimations. This work shows that the VPc score agrees with other estimates and analyses, but as with any other general estimation tool, it must be used with caution.

Measures to improve the cyber vulnerability regulation to strengthen national cyber security - Focusing on the US cyber vulnerability regulation

Measures to improve the cyber vulnerability regulation to strengthen national cyber security - Focusing on the US cyber vulnerability regulation

Cyber Security Challenges: Safeguarding Data in the Digital Era

The Internet is one of the fastest-growing areas of technical infrastructure development. In today’s business environment, disruptive technologies such as cloud computing, social computing, and next-generation mobile computing are fundamentally changing how organizations utilize information technology for sharing information and conducting commerce online. Today more than 80 percent of total commercial transactions are done online, so this field required a high quality of security for transparent and best transactions. The scope of Cyber Security extends not only to the security of IT systems within the enterprise, but also to the broader digital networks upon which they rely including cyber space itself and critical infrastructures. Cyber Security plays an important role in the development of information technology as well as Internet services. Our attention is usually drawn on “Cyber Security” when we hear about “Cyber Crimes”. Our first thought on “National Cyber Security” therefore starts on how good is our infrastructure for handling “Cyber Crimes”. This paper focus on cyber laws and security emerging trends, issues and challenges while adopting new technologies such as mobile computing, e-commerce, and social networking.

NATIONAL SECURITY AND THE TOOLS OF CYBER POWER: A REVIEW ON THE AREAS OF STATE HEGEMONIA

In the post-Cold War era, in terms of international relations, 'cyber security' emerges as a significant security issue for the spheres of state sovereignty beyond the personal sphere. In addition to the harmful effects of cyber threats on the functioning of public institutions and organizations, İt also raises a problem for states, such as managing perception operations by creating a society more open to manipulative influences. In our globalizing world, as the most important actor of the system, the States' dependence on each other has increased, and at the same time, there has been a period in which the fundamental security issues are intertwined for the States. In such a situation where it is not possible for the States to define themselves outside the system, classical realist approaches are insufficient to explain the changing -and increasingly abstracted-security areas. Nation-states must develop more complex skills and prioritize cooperation to deal with these new security threats. In our study, which focuses on the national cyber security perceptions of states, the measures taken by the States in the cyber world on priority issues, such as institutional functioning and survival problems, are analyzed in terms of national security strategies. On the theme of 'new security', the main focus is the necessity for actors to develop new defense capabilities within the framework of the 'quick response and easy adaptation' in the face of increasing and diversifying cyber threats. In our study, which deals with the efforts of digital Nation-states to increase their effectiveness in cyberspace in determining the 21st-century sovereignty areas and the increase in their tendency towards cyber warfare tools, the active/passive defense methods followed by the States in the perspective of cyber security strategies have been evaluated. In this context, it is the most acceptable method for the States to prefer the 'active defense model' in order to avoid cyber attacks against vital institutions such as education and health.

From Pacing to Rapport

This research is part of a series of studies under the broad theme of "Smart-Pusdiklat'' within the National Cyber and Crypto Agency (BSSN). The research question addressed is how instructors use the Pacing Phase to Rapport to build communication in the learning process in the Smart City Laboratory. The study revealed that training participants, predominantly from Generation Z, faced challenges such as boredom, loss of focus, and difficulty making choices. Meanwhile, instructors involved were from Generation X and Y. The research highlights key considerations for instructors to ensure effective communication in the classroom. What aspects should instructors pay attention to in order to ensure effective and flawless communication in the classroom? This study employs an exploratory research method with a qualitative approach, aimed at exploring a new phenomenon that has not been previously researched. This is a novelty in the context of the Smart City Laboratory implementation. There are 4 (four) important aspects of the Pacing Phase that must be done to achieve Rapport: Active listening and engagement, Pacing Body Language and Breathing, Technology Integration, Connecting Learning Objectives to Real Life, and Short and Engaging Content, which aligns with the preferences and learning styles of generation Z.

Development of the Country’s Sustainable Cyberspace Strategy to Ensure the Country’s National Security

This article is devoted to the assessment of the country’s sustainable cyberspace strategy by comparing the cyber security strategies of those countries that are economically developed and use advanced information and communication technologies. Based on the components of the National Cyber Security Index, a calculation was made for 10 countries, which made it possible to monitor the effectiveness of their cyber strategies and identify their shortcomings. The calculation is made for the years 2018 and 2021. During this period, no significant critical changes form abnormal indicators, but it is possible to reflect a particular trend. Application of the PROMETHEE method (I and II) and the formation of net flows, determination of importance and comparison of alternatives allowed to carry out an in-depth analysis of various aspects of cyber security, such as protection measures, response to cyber threats and general resistance to cyber-attacks. It is determined that Belgium and Lithuania are the most resistant to threats from cyber-attacks and in the fight against money laundering among the countries considered, as they are rapidly developing and implementing new measures. Their indicators increased by 0.1 values in 2021 compared to 2018. According to the calculations, Great Britain is the most conservative in implementing certain strategies, and its indicators remained at the level of 0-0.2 according to various criteria for the years studied. Most countries improve their indicators by a total of 0.2 values, which reflects their development. Ukraine tends to decrease some indicators by 0.1 value; some are at the same level. The regulatory framework’s introduction rate in the cyber security field increases. It shows that Ukraine has many rapidly changing risks, but is trying to achieve flexibility in responding to them. The research findings identify each country’s cybersecurity strengths and weaknesses, as well as potential risks and vulnerabilities. Thanks to this analysis, recommendations are made for developing and implementing effective cyber security strategies, both at the national and international levels. The study contributes to the understanding of the complexity of modern cyber threats. It emphasizes the need for continuous improvement and adaptation of protection measures to ensure the stability and security of financial and information systems in a global digital environment.

CTI Sharing Practices and MISP Adoption in Finland’s Critical Infrastructure Protection

Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI) sharing is crucial for safeguarding organisations and securing national critical infrastructure. This study delves into the CTI-sharing practices of large, safety-critical Finnish organisations, with a specific interest in the deployment and potential of the Malware Information Sharing Platform (MISP). We gathered insights through qualitative interviews with cybersecurity experts from key sectors: energy, healthcare, and transportation. Our findings reveal that a significant proportion of regional CTI data is still shared through manual methods such as email and chat. While these systems are generally viewed positively, they are also understood to be prone to delays and inaccuracies. The interest in utilising MISP is rising in Finland, yet its implementation is still in the nascent stages. Organisations are looking towards the National Cyber Security Center to lead the establishment of a national MISP instance. The benefits of adopting a national MISP framework could be further amplified by organisations joining Europewide industry-specific MISP instances or leveraging MISP to share threat intelligence with their supply chain partners. However, challenges remain, particularly in balancing threat data sharing with European data protection laws, motivating community contributions, and standardising CTI-sharing tools and practices within a country.

Design of Cybersecurity Maturity Assessment Framework Using NIST CSF v1.1 and CIS Controls v8

Cybersecurity threats are constantly evolving, making it crucial for organizations to maintain a robust and maturing cybersecurity posture. According to the 2022 Annual Report of the Honeynet Project of the National Cyber and Crypto Agency (BSSN), there were 370,022,283 cyber attacks against Indonesia.  One of the strategies that can be implemented is to conduct a cybersecurity maturity assessment to determine the organization's current level of cybersecurity implementation. This paper proposes a design for a cybersecurity maturity assessment framework leveraging two established standards: the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) v1.1 and the Center for Internet Security (CIS) Controls v8. The proposed framework utilizes a mapping between the NIST CSF v.1.1 subcategories and the CIS Controls v8 subcontrols, enabling a comprehensive assessment of an organization's cybersecurity maturity. The assessment methodology focuses on evaluating the implementation and effectiveness of controls aligned with each NIST CSF function. This approach allows organizations to identify strengths and weaknesses in their cybersecurity posture and prioritize areas for improvement. This research developed a mapping between the NIST CSF framework and CIS Controls v8. The mapping aligns 23 integrated cybersecurity categories from NIST CSF (including 64 subcategories out of a possible 108) with 124 subcontrols from CIS Controls v8 (out of a total 153). This combined framework serves as a tool to help organizations improve their cybersecurity maturity and capabilities.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF LEGAL REGULATION IN ENSURING CYBER SECURITY IN THE CONDITIONS OF WAR: EXPERIENCE FOR UKRAINE

Introduction. In the vast majority of countries, there is a constant trend towards a significant increase in the number and expansion of the spectrum of cyber-attacks with the aim of violating the confidentiality, integrity and availability of state information resources, in particular those distributed on the Internet and objects of critical information infrastructure. Summary of main results. The large-scale deployment of a hybrid war against our state seriously affects all aspects of social life. To a large extent, the strategic success of countering the challenges of hybrid warfare depends on the effective and quality of the legal response. Ensuring an adequate level of cyber security is difficult to imagine without clearly planned joint actions and measures developed by responsible entities, which must be synchronized and implemented according to a single strategic plan and development vector of the national cyber security system of a declarative nature. That is why cyber security in most countries of the world is recognized as an important component of national security, the provision of which is impossible without the formation and functioning of a national system in the field of cyber security, which is based on such principles as respect for the principles and norms of international law, protection of fundamental values defined by current legislation, protection national interests in cyberspace. It is emphasized that the state's national security largely depends on the state of cyber security. It has been proven that hybrid war significantly increases the impact of cyber threats on Ukrainian society and actualizes the danger of targeted cyber attacks as a tool of aggression against our state in the context of global trends regarding threats in cyberspace. Conclusions. In the process of conducting the research, we formulated conclusions in which special attention was paid to the peculiarities of the current state of functioning of the legislation on cyber security and considered promising directions for its improvement in the future, which, in turn, will become the basis for improving the administrative and legal regulation of cyber security in Ukraine.

Can We Develop Holistic Approaches to Delivering Cyber-Physical Systems Security?

Can We Develop Holistic Approaches to Delivering Cyber-Physical Systems Security?

Operational cyber incident coordination revisited: providing cyber situational awareness across organizations and countries

ABSTRACT Cyber situational awareness (CSA) is a prerequisite for justified decision-making and to maintain cyber security. This becomes particularly complex when establishing inter-organizational awareness across sectors. For example, computer security incident response teams (CSIRTs) and national cyber security centers need to establish CSA among countries when coordinating regional cyber incident response. Today’s state of the art of information sharing across larger numbers of organizations is often still the least common denominator in the shape of web-based forms and email reports. These are easily applicable by almost everyone who wants to report findings even in stressful situations. However, these do not prove to be efficient for the coordinator that aggregates and merges the data. Therefore, a cyber coordination platform using online surveys is proposed. This approach uses surveys to collect, aggregate and visualize data in a dashboard to support cyber coordination and knowledge management. Furthermore, the online surveys are easy to use and respond to and therefore simplify the participation of stakeholders. We propose an architecture and implement a prototype using popular web application frameworks. The evaluation in a user study revealed promising results with respect to increased efficiency and decreased resource requirements for establishing situational awareness.

Cyber Strategy in Practice

National cyber security strategies had already undergone a period of evolution before Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, ostensibly in preparation for just such a catalyser of major cyber conflagration. But the cyber war never came. Tom Johansmeyer, Gareth Mott and Jason R C Nurse analyse the national cyber security strategies (NCSS) of the US, Ukraine and Russia – as significant cyber domain stakeholders in the conflict – and how aligned these strategies were for the cyber component of the Ukrainian war. In addition, they consider areas of reflection for the future evolution of NCSS documents, particularly in light of the current state of play with cyber operations. ■