introduction
Cyber threats are complex and asymmetric, especially since cyberspace is “borderless” and exists digitally. NATO ensures cybersecurity through collective action among its permanent members, who respond based on the depth and vulnerability of attacks. NATO is strengthening its capabilities in the cyber ecosystem with the new NATO Cyber Security Center (NCSC), a cyber security command based in Mons, Belgium. NATO seeks to secure infrastructure digital networks through a centralized alliance process. The main strategic goal of NATO's cyber security infrastructure is to collectively counter “cyber threats of all kinds at all times.” Key pillars of this deterrence and defense posture include protecting critical networks, protecting infrastructure, and supporting cybersecurity missions. To mitigate the asymmetric threat of cyberattacks, NATO must remain technologically advanced, agile, and interoperable in its military operations, and strengthen its collective cyber resilience. NATO's current policy is simply to respond to cyberattacks and minimize vulnerabilities. NATO must move towards preventing such attacks at all levels, from basic infrastructure to complex wired infrastructure.
Evolution of NATO's posture
As a security provider in the Euro-Atlantic region, NATO must ensure protection at all levels to prevent harm and damage from cyber-attacks. NATO has long considered cyber defense as a core defense mechanism. The need for feasibility requirements in the cybersecurity space was first noted at the NATO Summit in Prague in 2002, where the need for technological agility and planning for electronic warfare and information systems was discussed. . The 2006 Riga Summit reiterated this need. Despite this recognition, cyber security apparatuses have not fully evolved and interconnected cyber defense capabilities have remained low. Nevertheless, the summit accurately predicted that future war operations will become much more complex due to increasing cybersecurity threats. Combat is increasingly occurring in multiple dimensions, whether air, land, sea or digital, especially as electronic warfare becomes central to operational attacks against command centers and critical infrastructure. Following the 2007 cyber attack on Estonia, NATO adopted a cyber defense policy and opened its first cyber security center. Cyberattacks on Estonia in 2007 left Estonian public and private facilities vulnerable. Therefore, cybersecurity challenges have become more prominent and potential national cyber vulnerabilities have become clear. Therefore, NATO members and cooperating states needed to assess public and private state vulnerabilities and establish strategic methods to defend against them. By June 2011, NATO Defense Ministers approved a second NATO policy on cyber defense, establishing a vision for a coordinated effort on standards and processes. By April 2012, NATO announced that “cyber defense has become part of her NATO defense planning process.” In September 2014, NATO launched an initiative to strengthen cooperation with the private sector on cyber threats and challenges at the 2016 NATO Summit in Warsaw. Therefore, starting in 2007, NATO began organizing efforts to strengthen the cybersecurity of its member states.
NATO's progress continued in February 2017, when NATO's defense ministers approved a new version of the Cyber Defense Action Plan and a “contentious roadmap” for the cyberspace domain. This roadmap aimed to design and deliver operational security capabilities against cyber threats and attacks to meet protection and resiliency needs. Ultimately, this roadmap led to the creation of the Supreme Allied Command Europe (SHAPE) in Mons, Belgium, aimed at providing cyber defense support to NATO allies. Notably, SHAPE included a cyberspace operations center that supported military commanders with situational awareness. The center also informs, trains and prepares military and civilian assets for a variety of potential military scenarios. At the 2018 NATO Summit in Brussels, NATO established a new Cyberspace Operations Center to strengthen cybersecurity as a core part of the NATO command structure. In 2021, NATO appointed its first Chief Information Officer (CIO) to facilitate the integration, coordination and cohesion of information and communications technology (ICT) systems across NATO. Therefore, cyber security has become a priority for organizations, including protecting critical infrastructure against malware and intrusion methods. As part of these efforts, NATO has introduced resiliency to its cyber networks through military education, exercises, and other operational coordination and synchronization measures. The core strategic objective is the 2021 NATO Cyber Defense Policy adopted at the 2021 Brussels Summit. This policy is the “bible” of core strategic issues regarding cyber deterrence and cyber defense, and confirms various cybersecurity policies. . Additionally, at the 2023 NATO Vilnius Summit in Lithuania, NATO approved a new concept for cyber defense that is still being evaluated but promises to strengthen NATO's resilience and military operational approach. Additionally, the NATO Vilnius Summit on Cyber Defense reaffirmed NATO's 2022 Strategic Vision and reiterated the view that “cyberspace” is an interconnected realm that is “constantly contested” by hacking at all levels. Ta.
Adjustments needed for NATO
To improve these programs, the NCSC must adopt a centralized command and control process that can respond to any cyber threat or attack. NATO also needs to ensure its approach is pre-emptive and conveys a strong message before illegal organizations attempt cyber-attacks. This approach must also assert NATO's ability to defend against these attacks. The NCSC should harmonize Member States' capacities with legal and adaptive processes. Conflicts between domestic and international cybersecurity laws currently hinder military-based cyber capabilities at the NATO operational level. Overall, NATO must address emerging hybrid and asymmetric threats in a changing security landscape.
To take a pre-emptive approach to potential security threats, NATO should leverage generative AI, a fairly new technology in cybersecurity. Generative AI-driven solutions, such as Google Cloud Security AI, are already helping private companies identify cyberattacks and more accurately assess their potential impact. Of course, such a solution would also be useful for NATO, as long as it does not compromise NATO's data security. Generative AI can also efficiently filter potential incident alerts by rejecting false positives, making the technology's ability to detect and track threats even more dynamic and automated, especially when it comes to cyber security. It is expected that
Once implemented, any technological solution must seamlessly integrate with military forces. This has led Germany's Marshall Fund in particular to report that “malicious cyber activity has increased significantly over the past few years, from ransomware and espionage to politically motivated cyber-attacks and sophisticated malware.” Taking these points into account will ensure operational agility and resilience. Joint strategic operational planning requires knowledge and infrastructure of a complex digital environment. Such a plan is particularly pertinent from the perspective of seeking collective security, as NATO members consider a cyber attack on a member state to be an attack on the entire member state. To achieve this integration, NATO must undertake further research and development. Specifically, efforts such as M&S research and development by NATO science and technology agencies should be expanded. NATO M&S Research and Development states that this is “the efficient and effective use of NATO and national modeling and simulation (M&S) capabilities and requires policies, common services, shared data and standards for interoperability and reuse.” “I will.” Meet your coordination, synchronization, and standardization needs. Improving cyber capabilities is critical given the political instability of the current international security architecture. NATO must scale up this effort and strengthen cybersecurity preparedness at all operational and logistics levels to address continually emerging challenges.
Where do we go from here?
Protecting NATO's information systems and working with partner nations should be a priority. While adopting new security architectures and being proactive is essential to cybersecurity, a deeper methodological and operational approach that combines cybersecurity tools and generative artificial intelligence can help predict possible threat scenarios before they occur. Helpful. NATO does more than just respond to cyberattacks. By minimizing infrastructure vulnerabilities, NATO cannot avoid disruption at any time. NATO therefore needs to adopt “pre-emptive preparedness” in its cyber defense. In modern times, advances in artificial intelligence and robotics have strengthened NATO's adversaries and increased the importance of NATO's efforts to protect civilian and military assets. As the global economy becomes more interconnected and reliant on the Internet, NATO must build the technological capabilities to overcome infrastructure threats and anticipate future threats. By synchronizing its digital ecosystem and its digital footprint, NATO can ensure that its technological processes are at least in line with those of the private sector. This will allow NATO to fulfill its original purpose as a central security providence. For example, further research and development through the NATO Modeling and Simulation Group will enable a more thorough cyber response.as record explained, NATO should incorporate a resilient and proactive policy approach that incorporates “the full range of capabilities to deter, defend and counter the full range of cyber threats, including consideration of collective responses.” be. Ultimately, NATO must consider the borderless nature of digital ecosystems in its approach to defensive cyber operations, especially in the era of artificial intelligence and digital cyberspace. While NATO, NATO partners, and countries aspiring to NATO standards continue to strengthen their political consensus, NATO continues to serve as a “security benchmark” and a provider of preventive and pre-emptive security. Must be.
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Professor Marios Panagiotis Eftimiopoulos is Associate Professor and Head of the Department of International Security and Strategy, Faculty of History, Politics and International Studies, Neapolis University, Paphos, Paphos, Republic of Cyprus. He is also the Executive Director and Founder of Strategy International (SI). He holds a PhD from the Department of Political Science, University of Crete, Greece, specializing in NATO's new strategic concepts and NATO-Russia relations. He continually gained professional, academic and fieldwork experience in various countries, holding positions in Italy, the United States, the UAE and Cyprus. Dr. Marios is currently working on his new book, “The Falcon's Maze of Cybersecurity,” at Springer, New York.Learn more about his profile here https://www.nup.ac.cy/faculty/marios-panagiotis-efthymiopoulos/ or his personal website www.efthymiopoulos.gr or think tank www.strategyinternational.org. You can contact him: m.efthymiopoulos@nup.ac.cy or marios@strategyinternational.org.
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