Angus Batey has been contributing to various titles within the Aviation Week Network since 2009. He has reported from military bases, industrial facilities, trade shows and conferences, on topics ranging from defense and space to business aviation, advanced air mobility and cybersecurity.
Home-grown “hacktivism”—network penetration by politically motivated groups or individuals—has long been recognized as an important element of what is routinely referred to in cybersecurity circles as Advanced Persistent Threat.
Maps are clearly a vital tool for any military commander, but the days when a two-dimensional, printed representation of an area will suffice have long since passed. Dynamic mapping of the battlespace is not new, but 21st century technologies are revolutionizing the collection, dissemination and analysis of tactical intelligence.
Two stories that broke in the last few weeks of 2011 flag what is likely to become an ever-more dominant concern for militaries and defense contractors in the years ahead: the security, or vulnerability, of mobile communications. The two developments underline the challenges that have yet to be overcome as the defense establishment seeks to reap the technological and economic advantages of using cheap, proven, off-the-shelf communications technology. The first item did not, at first, appear to have much to do with defense.
