Michael Kushin is senior vice president at CACI International Inc.
Sticking with the theme of my last two blog posts, Drones and Cybersecurity – Part 1: The challenges we face and cybersecurity’s role and Part 2: Solutions, we must ask and address two important questions. As remote control aircraft (RCA), smart cars, and other platforms become part of the Internet of Things, how do the laws and authorities applied to protecting networks from nefarious activity apply to protecting against attacks from these devices that could cause physical harm or loss of life? And, what are the privacy implications?
It is clear that the Department of Homeland Security, the legal authority to protect .gov networks from attacks, has mature and robust processes for dealing with privacy data. Additionally, through public-private partnerships, DHS works with private industry to support the protection of critical infrastructure such as the financial system and electric grids, of which a network attack could cause physical harm or loss of life. Recent legislation including the House Intelligence Committee’s Protecting Cyber Networks Act and the Senate Intelligence Committee’s Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (S.754) provide the mechanism for private entities to monitor their networks or those of their consenting customers for cybersecurity purposes. This legislation lays the groundwork for protection against these critical infrastructure type of threats. But, do these laws apply to a whole new array of devices that make up the IoT?
The balance between privacy and protection must be considered as further legislation is enacted. It must be determined who has authorities over RCAs in the public airspace and what possible privacy issue could arise from those authorities as they assess in real time the threat level of the RCA or device.
RCA sales are on the rise and there does not seem to be a slowdown in sight. It’s widely been reported that Google, Apple, and other technology companies could soon roll out smart cars in which technology is controlling and driving the car, not a person, and Amazon is in the works of having packages be delivered from the sky via drones. All of this is great innovation, but with these advances come new threats that, unlike many cyberattacks these days, are not conducted in cyberspace, but in our cities and neighborhoods. We must ensure our privacy is protected while also ensuring we can utilize appropriate and necessary techniques to protect our safety.
The thin line between protection and privacy
