The overarching question imparting urgency to this exploration is: Can U.S.-Russian contention in cyberspace cause the two nuclear superpowers to stumble into war? In considering this question we were constantly reminded of recent comments by a prominent U.S. arms control expert: At least as dangerous as the risk of an actual cyberattack, he observed, is cyber operations’ “blurring of the line between peace and war.” Or, as Nye wrote, “in the cyber realm, the difference between a weapon and a non-weapon may come down to a single line of code, or simply the intent of a computer program’s user.”
Biography
Marcus Comiter is a Ph.D. Candidate in Computer Science at Harvard University. He leverages
knowledge of the latest computer science research to study the public policy implications of
new technologies, such as machine learning/artificial intelligence and big data, on cybersecurity
and privacy. Comiter’s computer science research focuses on machine learning, computer and
wireless networking (including 5G wireless networks), and security. His research has been
published in both top computer science and public policy venues, and awarded a best paper
award.
At Harvard, Comiter has helped design Harvard’s first courses in blockchain/cryptocurrencies,
5G wireless networking, software defined networking, and the Internet of Things. Comiter’s
industry experience includes the Security and Microarchitecture groups at Intel Research Labs,
where his work resulted in a patent, and serving as a Fellow at US Ignite, a Washington D.C.
nonprofit catalyzing the development of next generation network applications. Comiter
received his A.B. magna cum laude with highest honors in Computer Science and Statistics from
Harvard University.