< Previous42 | TribalNetOnline.com TRIBALNET MAGAZINE | FALL 2021 A t least one hundred tribal networks will launch next year. Advancements in technologies like network-in-a-box solutions, the 2.5 GHz Tribal Priority Window, COVID-19 hardships reduced through internet access, and the billions in seed funding from the federal government are the perfect storm that will lead Native communities in the U.S. to launch broadband networks. It is a scramble right now, and tribal leadership everywhere is making decisions fast to capitalize on the opportunity to build broadband infrastructure without spending a dime. My advice is simple: build long-lasting, flexible tribally-controlled network infrastructure that will grow with your community and your broadband vision. FLEXIBLE INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WILL GROW WITH YOU The best hardware and software for a community will depend on their long-term goals, which many communities don’t know yet. Get carrier-grade equipment that can be run by almost any network core (software) worth its mettle. Equipment that can handle cellular traffic opens up another income stream and provides a needed service. The other choice is a proprietary software/hardware package, often with a binding monthly subscription fee that ties you to your vendor. Buying into a proprietary system is like buying an iPhone: it is designed to work seamlessly with other Apple products, but you must buy their charging cable, which is thirty bucks. Comparatively, open radio access network (O-RAN) architecture is like an Android phone. It allows for interoperability between devices from different brands and access to “apps” that innovate how the network can be used and maintained. As your community’s broadband vision forms and the community’s technical capabilities build, the software running your network can be adapted without having to make significant changes to your hardware. EXAMPLES OF NOVEL SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS AFFORDED BY OPEN NETWORKS The Tested: REDINet, an open-access fiber community broadband network owned and operated by local and tribal governments in New Mexico, gives households access to virtual service providers (VSPs) through Entry Point. Similar to the municipal network of Ammon, Idaho, households will receive one home device that allows them to choose from a list of providers and broadband packages. Therefore, new tribal network operators that do not want to run their own front office or deal with issues like billing software can use these platforms to build in reliable and competitive providers. The Weird: MuralNet has reliably used FreedomFi local gateways to run LTE networks and soon LTE/5G networks. The newest version of their core trades cryptocurrency for excess network capacity for cellular phone and Internet of Things (IoT) traffic to other carriers. FEATURE | BROADBAND SUSTAINABILITY BY MARIEL TRIGGS CEO, MURALNET ABOUT THE AUTHOR Mariel Triggs is the hands-on CEO of the nonprofit MuralNet. MuralNet works with dozens of Tribal communities to build fixed wireless networks. MuralNet helped write over one hundred applications for the 2.5 GHz Tribal Priority Window. Mariel has two engineering degrees from UC Berkeley and a Master’s in Education from Stanford. Visit MuralNet.org for more information. MAKE YOUR BROADBAND NETWORK Sustainable, Future-Proof, and Yours50 | TribalNetOnline.com A blended threat is a natural, accidental, or purposeful physical or cyber danger that can have crossover impacts and the potential to harm life, information, operations, the environment, and/or property. Recently, this type of threat was observed in the colonial pipeline attack in May 2021. During this event, a ransomware attack “forced the company to proactively close down operations and freeze IT systems.” This "temporarily halted all pipeline operations" and caused a ripple effect that had lasting repercussions and impacted critical supply chains across various businesses and industries. Another threat to critical infrastructure occurred earlier in the year, during which a threat actor broke into the computer system of a water treatment plant in Florida and tried, unsuccessfully, to poison drinking water for a Florida municipality’s roughly 15,000 residents. These two cyber incidents led to physical issues and impacts, but blended threats can also occur in other ways: • Raging wildfires occurring around the world can have physical impacts through the destruction of power lines or cell towers. In 2020, 150,000 people lost power from one California wildfire. Similar effects could occur as a result of severe storms or hurricanes. • Poor physical security access controls could directly lead to an unauthorized visitor infecting a computer network. • And of course, as we have seen during the past 18 months, a pandemic can have security impacts that affect personnel and processes organization-wide. As organizations, and specifically as security becomes more and more integrated, blended threats highlight the importance of breaking down organizational silos and emphasize the importance of information sharing. This may be especially important for tribes – many of which maintain a variety of critical infrastructure from critical lifelines to vital services to entertainment and leisure. There is a natural tendency to want to group similar things together as a way of streamlining processes, personnel, and workflows. But this tendency can also have negative impacts, particularly for information sharing. Information sharing is one of the more challenging processes that security organizations face. This is not necessarily because these organizations intentionally withhold information, but because they are often so focused on their internal processes, that they do not consider sharing information externally or even laterally across the organization. There is a belief that because they are working out an issue, it is being handled responsibly and no information needs to be shared. However, they may not consider that because of the blended nature of threats and business processes, the risk or threat they are working on could have broad FEATURE | CYBERSECURITY THREAT LANDSCAPE BY DAVID POUNDER SENIOR THREAT AND RISK ANALYST, THE GATE 15 COMPANY ABOUT THE AUTHOR David Pounder is a Senior Threat and Risk Analyst for The Gate 15 Company. He advises on both physical and cyber security issues. Dave spent over 20 years in the Army as an Intelligence and Security Officer, specializing in counter-terrorism, force protection, and counterintelligence efforts as well as serving in the private sector for leading financial institutions responsible for information security and mobile applications. Dave twice served in senior command positions responsible for both counterintelligence operations and investigations. He has briefed Senior Army Leadership on intelligence and security issues and operations including General David Petraeus and General Martin Dempsey. David was a regular guest instructor at the Department of Defense Joint Counterintelligence Training Academy in Quantico, VA. Dave graduated from George Mason University and from the US Army’s Command and General Staff College and has served internationally including tours in Iraq, Cuba and Qatar. How Information Sharing Can REDUCE the Impact of Blended ThreatsNext >