Student Interviews

Tomoko Nagasako

Recommendations on how to deal with Digital Gerrymandering that aims to use a variety of cyber attacks to interfere with elections.

We can also learn from experts in the field of espionage and intelligence.

I have been aware of the importance of national security since the shock from events that I saw on the news as a child. From that moment on, my goal has been to work in an area related to national security. I enrolled at IISEC because I wanted to acquire the necessary knowledge as the field of security expands from real space to cyber space. I have learnt a lot from attending the lectures given by experts working in the field of intelligence, who presented us with their front-line insights. At IISEC, the curriculum is so carefully designed that even a humanities graduate like myself can understand the basics of practical exercises, such as incident response, vulnerability examination, and unauthorised access. The lecturers were very approachable and made me feel at ease completing the exercises. It was very interesting to learn actual techniques.

Cyber ​​attacks from abroad that could not be tried under international law

Under the guidance of Prof. Yuasa, I chose to focus on "digital gerrymanderers" in my Master's dissertation. This is a group that aims to use cyber-attacks to interfere in elections to the advantage or disadvantage of particular candidates. Based on official election reports and newspaper articles, I am studying cyber-attack cases in different countries and considering how to respond to them in Japan. Even if it is a cyber-attack from abroad, unauthorised access to election information, information leaks, or the spread of fake news, are not considered acts of interference and are currently difficult to control under international law. For this reason, the following measures have been taken in many countries. One is a proactive measure such as SNS and fake news control. The other is the monitoring of illicit financial flows to demonstrate the relationship between the perpetrator and the state agency directing the attack and to impose sanctions. In my dissertation, I consider these measures as well as the creation of a Cyber Security Agency to deal with cyber intelligence in a comprehensive manner. I hope that the creation of the Agency will strengthen our attribution capabilities and overcome the negative impact of the government's vertical administrative structure on cyber strategy.

Getting support for my research and future career path from alumni working in the industry

IISEC has a diverse student body from many different backgrounds. In addition, you can join the alumni association while you are still a student and get to know graduates who are active in society. I have benefited from the input and advice of people working in security organisations and researchers in related fields. I have also been introduced to research groups and seminars closely related to my research topic, which has helped me to expand my network. When I took the plunge and enrolled at IISEC for my future, I felt as if my world had opened up at once. Ultimately, I want to fulfil my original goal through the contacts I have made with faculty members, fellow students and alumni.

Tomoko Nagasako
Tomoko Nagasako
The Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
Enrolled in October 2017
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