CXO Tech Forum: The State of Cyber 2018 Recap

As the National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD) transitions to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Director Chris Krebs explains the transition as well as next steps for election security. Ahead of the midterm elections, his team is reaching out to state and local officials to get ahead of potential threats. He also discusses the 2016 election, a “galvanizing moment” for the United States and cybersecurity that has led to focusing on a whole of nation effort to protect against network intrusions and other attacks that threaten to destabilize our infrastructure.

“We have the biggest rocks, but we also have the biggest glass house,” says Krebs. “How do we work with the private sector to make our house a little less glassy?” In this fireside chat, Krebs goes into the programs and partnerships his agency has established and looks to establish to solve that challenge both in the short-term and in the long term.

In this one-on-one chat, former Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge discusses the past, present and future of DHS. Its next challenges come from not only the changing nature and intensity of our adversaries, he says, but also our preparedness to respond to all nature of attacks in a constantly evolving digital landscape. He also talks about the public-private partnerships necessary to muster an effort to defend networks and other critical infrastructure.

“Building a national strategy and bringing in some of the best capabilities within the private sector is…the best way to deal with this permanent condition that will only get more intense,” says Ridge. “The digital sun will never set. It only gets hotter…we are all connected.”

In this chat, ID Technologies CTO Dylan Conner discusses how to best leverage expertise surrounding emerging technologies in the private sector and in government. He also discusses ways for government to use those emerging technologies, like AI and machine learning, to address the information security workforce gap and secure its networks. Finally, he addresses way that industry can help government agencies get the most value out of their cybersecurity funding to reduce their risk.

In 2014, the Obama Administration established the United States Digital Service as a team to jumpstart IT transformation throughout the government. Former Deputy CTO of the United States Nick Sinai, Executive Director of USDS at DHS Stephanie Neill, Executive Director of USDS at VA Marcy Jacobs, and Digital Service Expert at USDS for Defense Alex Romero discuss the successes USDS has had since its inception as well as what the program has done to improve the security of federal systems and networks against new threats. They also discuss efforts to fast-track acquisition and introduce innovative project management in the federal government.

NSA Deputy CIO Mark Hakun, NGA Risk Management Division Chief Eric Sanders, DISA Cyber Development Executive Lisa Belt, and HHS Deputy CIO and Executive Director for Enterprise Services Amy Haseltine share their perspectives on current and future risks and opportunities. The agency leads discuss minimizing risk, utilizing emerging technologies and building a culture of awareness in their offices. Finally, they talk about ensuring advancements in security further enable their agencies’ respective missions.