Are hackers really a constant threat, or is hacking just another tool for media manipulation and fearmongering? To get definitive answers, the Curiosity Podcast sat down with the deputy chief of research at the Army Cyber Institute at West Point, Dr. Natalie Vanatta. She explains what government and corporate entities are doing to keep the average person safe online – and how people can protect themselves. Plus: learn where the international community draws the line between warfare and cyber-warfare.

A lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army and instructor of mathematics at the United States Military Academy, Dr. Vanatta's work at the Army Cyber Institute focuses on bringing private industry, academia, and government agencies together to explore and solve cyber challenges facing the U.S. Army in the next 3 to 10 years.

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Additional resources discussed:

Army Cyber Institute at West Point

Arizona State University Threatcasting Lab

Shmoocon 2017 | A Widening Attack Plain - Natalie Vanatta, Brian David Johnson (YouTube)

United Nations Definition of Aggression

Defining War in an Ill-Defined World (New York Times)

DOD needs cyberwarriors so badly it may let skilled recruits skip boot camp (Ars Technica)

CyberCorps: Scholarship For Service (SFS)

COACH: Crash Override's Automated Cybersecurity Helper

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