To The Point - Cybersecurity

Curt Dukes, Executive Vice President and General Manager for Security Best Practices at the Center for Internet Security (CIS) joins the podcast this week. He shares insights from his more than 30 years with the NSA and how that journey led to the CIS and the synergies between the two organizations in providing cyber resources and fostering threat intelligence information sharing. And for those not familiar with the CIS he provides a great primer on this vital organization started 20 years ago by a group of private industry and government individuals who saw the escalating cyber threat landscape ahead and decided to organize and do something about it to make the connected world a safer place. And you don't want to miss his perspective on multi-factor authentication and its 99% success rate.

For links and resources discussed in this episode, please visit our show notes at https://www.forcepoint.com/govpodcast/e158

Dr. Andrew Hammond, Historian and Curator of the International Spy Museum joins us this week - and let's be honest he has just about the coolest job out there today! Hammond takes us through the classic period of espionage and the reliance on physical data and spycraft techniques to transport through to the modern day battlefield of cyber intelligence and espionage. And he provides insights on the historical throughlines of attacks that haven't really changed over the centuries, by and large what is being sought is the same it is simply the mechanism by which exploits are executed have evolved. He also lends perspective on the cyber threat landscape ahead, and asks is this the dreadnought moment?

For links and resources discussed in this episode, please visit our show notes at https://www.forcepoint.com/govpodcast/e158

Mike Watson, CISO for the Commonwealth of Virginia, joins the podcast this week and shares perspective on the challenges and opportunities for security teams at the state and local level. He recounts a 2009 ransomware incident and details just how sophisticated ransomware attackers have become in the ensuing years since. And he provides perspective on shared responsibility, security standards and compliance baselines of "good", walking the fine line of multi-factor authentication, security ubiquity, and why he has optimism for the security path ahead (HINT: it involves security as part of the process, not bolted on after the fact).

Mike Watson, CISO, Commonwealth of Virginia

For links and resources discussed in this episode, please visit our show notes at https://www.forcepoint.com/govpodcast/e157

This week we catch up with Matthew Ferraro an attorney at the international law firm Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr and former intelligence officer. He has written extensively on national security and legal issues and most recently authored the CNN opinion piece "Ransomware attacks are about to get worse. But there are ways to stop them". He shares with us perspective on the role of governance in the continued pursuit to thwart ransomware groups which can feel like a "whack a mole" battle. He also dives into the growing deepfakes as a service business and the differences between "the liar's dividend" and "the zealot's dividend". Be sure to read his CNN op-ed on the growing ransomware threat here: https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/13/perspectives/ransomware-attacks-cybersecurity/index.html

For links and resources discussed in this episode, please visit our show notes at https://www.forcepoint.com/govpodcast/e156

This week our special guest is Sudhakar Ramakrishna, President and Chief Executive Officer of SolarWinds. He shares insights from his first year at the company, joining at a very dynamic time as news of the Sunburst attack first started making headlines. He provides perspective on what we consider a master class in leading through crisis – putting employees and customers first, the importance of transparency, continuous and two-way communications (even when you don't have all the answers) and building a culture of trust. And why through his many years in security he is still a stubborn optimist for the security path ahead – with people being a critical part of the solution.

For links and resources discussed in this episode, please visit our show notes at https://www.forcepoint.com/govpodcast/e155

This week we welcome guest Combiz Abdolrahimi, a national security lawyer and Emerging Technology and Innovation Leader at Deloitte. We deep dive into today's critical infrastructure vulnerabilities and navigating the path forward to address the threat with systems that weren't originally designed with cybersecurity in mind. (Hint: don't approach 21st century cyber challenges with 20th century thinking) And he shares perspective from his time in government at the U.S. Departments of State, Treasury, and Commerce, among others, as well as insights across today's hot topic themes including ransomware, cryptocurrency regulations, international enforcement, and the criticality of information sharing and reporting requirements.

For links and resources discussed in this episode, please visit our show notes at https://www.forcepoint.com/govpodcast/e154

Joining us this week is Danny Jenkins, CEO and Co-founder of ThreatLocker, an Orlando-based cybersecurity firm providing zero-trust endpoint security. Danny shares insights on the challenges facing critical infrastructure, particularly water systems that continue to be targeted with today's latest headline grabbing financial + idealogical threat of ransomware. And he poses the question, "Will we get to a point where we have to stop drinking tap water?" He also provides perspective around the nuances of compliance (note: listen for the motorcyclist example!) versus regulation and getting on a path to proactive versus reactive security while moving to a collective mindset of 'what can I do to improve security this week'? And you don't want to miss ThreatLocker's must read report on protecting water infrastructure from cyber attacks available here on our show notes at https://www.forcepoint.com/govpodcast/e153

Want to know what this week's episode title means? Listen to our two-part episode with Juan Andrés Guerrero Saade (aka JAGS), principal researcher at SentinelOne and Adjunct Professor of Strategic Studies at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). JAGS takes us on an exciting and educational ride through his research efforts on Moonlight Maze, one of the first widely known cyber espionage campaigns in world history, and how he came to be a featured hologram in the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C. He also shares insights on the epic trolling endeavor through the recent "Meteor Express" wiper attack of an Iranian railway and possible ties to early versions of Stardust and Comet malware. And you won't want to miss his perspective on monetization, Linux flying below the radar, why it's important to get more savvy in determining what you want from vendors and how a philosophy major found his way into the threat intel space.

For links and resources discussed in this episode, please visit our show notes at https://www.forcepoint.com/govpodcast/e152

Want to know what this week's episode title means? Listen to our two-part episode with Juan Andrés Guerrero Saade (aka JAGS), principal researcher at SentinelOne and Adjunct Professor of Strategic Studies at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). JAGS takes us on an exciting and educational ride through his research efforts on Moonlight Maze, one of the first widely known cyber espionage campaigns in world history, and how he came to be a featured hologram in the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C. He also shares insights on the epic trolling endeavor through the recent "Meteor Express" wiper attack of an Iranian railway and possible ties to early versions of Stardust and Comet malware. And you won't want to miss his perspective on monetization, Linux flying below the radar, why it's important to get more savvy in determining what you want from vendors and how a philosophy major found his way into the threat intel space.

For links and resources discussed in this episode, please visit our show notes at https://www.forcepoint.com/govpodcast/e151

Joe Marks, reporter for The Washington Post's daily newsletter Cybersecurity 202 covering the policy and politics of cybersecurity joins us this week. He takes us behind the scenes of his many years covering cybersecurity and policy sharing insights behind the stories, the reporting process and journalism in the age of dis/misinformation. He also shares perspective on key moves made by CISA in bringing election and security groups together and the ticking clock for government investment in cybersecurity to shore up defenses of federal agencies and to modernize state and local governments that are increasingly the target of ransomware and other disruptive to way of life attacks.

For links and resources discussed in this episode, please visit our show notes at https://www.forcepoint.com/govpodcast/e150