WHAT DO PIRATES KNOW ABOUT INNOVATING FOR CYBERWARFARE? MUCH MORE THAN YOU THINK—PROVIDING THE DEFENSE WITH A WAY TO GAIN A STEP AHEAD OF THE ATTACKER

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Presented at bsidestampa 2018 by

Ernest Wong

Since the origins of the Republic, the American people have shown a strong speculative knack that lead to novel ideas for tackling tough problems. From the first American colonists who made do with limited resources, to NASA astronauts who boldly explored space with minimal supplies in order to break free of gravity, Americans have a proud history of advancing new and effective ways of getting the job done. However, the Internet’s rapid growth has meant that the tools for operating in cyberspace are constantly changing. In such a fluid environment, does America still have the capacity to gain the advantages necessary to out-hack those who attack us in the cyber domain? In order to survive, pirates had learned to develop and employ revolutionary methods to plunder the seas. Initially, the kings and queens with all their material wealth were not prepared to deal with piracy, and their navies despite having greater numbers and better arms were ill-equipped to combat this threat. Eventually kingdoms resorted to privateers to track and hunt down pirates. Perhaps by learning more about this development which ended the pirate threat on the seven seas may help to progress how our nation can develop more effective cyber tools for defeating our cyber threats.