TWIGF Day 0 Tutorial: Security & Resilience

Security & Resilience
TWIGF Day 0 Tutorial
August 20, 2024

1. Security and Resilience
TWIGF Day 0 Tutorial
Charles Mok, Global Digital Policy
Incubnator, Cyber Policy Center
August 20, 2024

2. Our recent paper
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•“Strengthening Taiwan’s Critical
Digital Lifeline” — An Analysis of
Taiwan’s Undersea Cable Network
Resilience
•By Charles Mok and Kenny Huang
•https://cyber.fsi.stanford.edu/gdpi/
publication/strengthening-taiwans-
critical-digital-lifeline

3. The importance of undersea cables to Taiwan
and the world
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•“Undersea cables carry over 99% of intercontinental data transmission
of the Internet.”
•Taiwan is connected to the world via 15+ undersea cable systems,
providing over 100 Tbps of Internet bandwidth to over 21 million
users, at >90% Internet penetration, one of the highest in the world,
supporting Taiwan’s business, education, research and public sectors,
including its semiconductor industry that has a 68% global market
share, etc.
•For Taiwan and for the world, Taiwan must be kept online.

4. But undersea cables are vulnerable
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5. Geopolitical realignment of undersea cable
systems
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•Transpacific Internet undersea
cable systems from North America
to East Asia and Southeast Asia
•Troubles in the South China Sea
•Decline of Hong Kong as a regional
Internet hub
•Is Taiwan caught in between?

6. Is satellite communications the answer?
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•Starlink, everyone?

7. So what is Taiwan doing about it?
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8. Taiwan to the sky
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•Taiwan wants its own satellite
network — LEO (low earth
orbit) and MEO (medium earth
orbit).
•Working with Eutelsat OneWeb
and others.

9. Our recommendations
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1.Investigate the validity of a cable repair industry in Taiwan
2.Make smart investment in Taiwan’s satellite capabilities
3.Seek strategic cooperation on digital resilience with neighbors
4.Elevate digital resilience strategy to central policy level
5.Set up a multi-stakeholder expert group on digital resilience
6.Establish cybersecurity standard practice for the cable industry
7.Incentivize more investments in undersea cable infrastructure
8.Formulate a grey zone aggression mitigation strategy

10. Questions and Comments?
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Charles Mok
Research Scholar
Global Digital Policy Incubator
Cyber Policy Center, Stanford University
Kenny Huang
Chair, Taiwan Network
Information Center (TWNIC)