08 Apr 13. New manual offers 95 rules for cyber warfare. The effort to create a legal framework for cyber warfare has taken a giant leap with the creation by international legal scholars of 95 “black-letter rules” set forth in a manual designed for international distribution and use that can be applied to cyber dust-ups around the globe, NATO officials said. The “Tallinn Manual on the International Law Applicable to Cyber Warfare” was developed over a three-year period and addresses a wide range of topics, including sovereignty, state responsibility, humanitarian law, the law of neutrality and other relevant matters, said the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE). Importantly, the 300-page manual also addresses the concept and principles of jus ad bellum, which governs the use of force under international law, and jus in bello, which pertains to conduct in armed conflict. The manual might be useful to the U.S. Defense Department as it finalizes guidelines for cyber warfare by providing additional insight into complex legal aspects related to cyber warfare, said cyber and legal experts familiar with the manual. The Tallinn Manual is the result of a three-year project by 20 international law scholars and practitioners to provide clarity on matters related to cyber warfare, a topic that has become more murky with each passing year. An extensive commentary is provided along with each rule in the manual in an effort to frame the rule’s basis in treaty and customary law. The authors explain how they went about interpreting applicable norms in the cyber context and log any disagreements among them regarding each rule’s application. (Source: Defense Systems)
11 Apr 13. President Barack Obama proposed on Wednesday increased spending to protect U.S. computer networks from Internet-based attacks in a sign that the government aims to put more resources into the emerging global cyber arms race. Obama’s budget proposal for the 2014 fiscal year, which begins October 1, calls for more military “hackers” to head off escalating cyber threats from China, Iran, Russia and other countries. It would also bolster defenses for government and private-sector computer networks. Intelligence officials said last month that cyber attacks and espionage have supplanted terrorism as the top security threat facing the United States, and military officials sounded the alarm as well. The Pentagon said the spending would be used to beef up U.S. defenses against increasing cyber attacks, as well as boosting its offensive capabilities. (Source: Reuters)
11 Apr 13. SRI International starts final phase of USMC’s Trusted Handheld programme. SRI International has entered the final development phase of the US Marine Corps Systems Command’s (MCSC) one-year, $3.8m Trusted Handheld programme to develop and commercialise trusted multiple-personality mobility devices. The SRI-led team for the development programme comprises Galois, General Dynamics Broadband and LG Electronics. Currently, the team is integrating domain isolation, encryption, policy, and related security technologies into smartphones for evaluations by carriers, scheduled to take place later this year. Leveraging fundamental research on isolation technology, separation kernels, and multiple independent levels of security, SRI will develop mobile device architecture that could be used for the commercial purposem while addressing security needs of the US Department of Defense (DoD) and other government departments. The trusted handheld programme is intended to solve issues that arise when personal mobile devices are used for business purposes. “An ‘Unclassified Domain’ can access secure records such as business e-mail, medical data, fitness reports, training apps, military avatars, and a ‘Secret Domain’ can access data and applications related to operations.” (Source: naval-technology.com)
08 Apr 13. Good Technology partners with USAF for secure mobile devices roll-out. Good Tec