Virtual Library

Our virtual library is an online repository of all of the reports, papers, and briefings that IST has produced, as well as works that have influenced our thinking.

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Reports

Enhancing Cyber Resilience through Insurance: Revisiting Anti-Bundling Regulation

Sophia Mauro and Taylor Grossman

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Op-ed

ROOST Reminds Us Why Open Source Tools Matter

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Reports

Navigating AI Compliance, Part 2: Risk Mitigation Strategies for Safeguarding Against Future Failures

Mariami Tkeshelashvili, Tiffany Saade

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Reports

Deterring the Abuse of U.S. IaaS Products: Recommendations for a Consortium Approach

Steve Kelly, Tiffany Saade

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Podcasts

TechnologIST Talks: Looking Back and Looking Ahead: Deep Dive on the New Cybersecurity Executive Order

Carole House, Megan Stifel, and Steve Kelly

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Podcasts

TechnologIST Talks: The Offense-Defense Balance

Philip Reiner and Heather Adkins

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Reports

The Generative Identity Initiative: Exploring Generative AI’s Impact on Cognition, Society, and the Future

Gabrielle Tran, Eric Davis

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Contribute to our Library!

We also welcome additional suggestions from readers, and will consider adding further resources as so much of our work has come through crowd-sourced collaboration already. If, for any chance you are an author whose work is listed here and you do not wish it to be listed in our repository, please, let us know.

SUBMIT CONTENT

To the Point of Failure: Identifying Failure Points for Crisis Communications Systems

Leah Walker, Alexa Wehsener

SUMMARY

Although most states agree that the need for nuclear risk reduction is more urgent than ever, the pathways to peace are elusive. Existing use of hotlines is wrought with political and technical failures. In some cases, nuclear weapons states may not even possess direct communication lines to their nuclear adversaries or allies. Geopolitical tensions are rising and could be exacerbated if the number of states possessing nuclear weapons or those existing under nuclear security umbrellas continue to grow.

Nuclear crisis communications and other diplomatic communication systems reduce nuclear risk by increasing transparency and predictability in state actions and intentions, while combating miscommunication. Failures in those communication systems can eliminate their ability to reduce risk, and may, in fact, increase the risk of war. This report assesses operational, adversarial, accidental, and institutional failure points in existing nuclear crisis communications. These existing points of failure are cemented by the increasing complexity of today’s strategic environment and the additional risks it creates for reliable crisis communication use.

  1. Operational Failures
  2. Adversarial Failures
  3. Accidental Failures
  4. Institutional Failures
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