Hiding an asset --- Interesting thought, Bennette. True: asset is the key. But if we look at what the assets are - from sensitive data, to critical systems, and even lives - it is not easy to hide it: adversaries usually strike because they know what they can get. For instance, they would attack voting machines or records because they know what they can get; or a hospital system because they know the effect of locking the data, computers and devices for ransom.

There are ways to better shield the assets (encryption of data, two-factor authentication, segmentation of the network, even 'air-gapping' the critical systems - disconnecting them from the net, and other) - but exactly the lack of those measures enable adversaries to advance (and, indeed, sometimes they are not even sufficient).

But, I might be missing your point here?

BTW it would be interesting to explore the possible role of blockchain more. Since it is effectively a distributed ledger of any kind of transactions, it can't help with securely storing the data, but it could keep track of various transactions of data, and access to it. Food for thought.

Source author: Vladimir Radunovic vladar@diplomacy.edu