For this week's episode we catch up with LaLisha Hurt, Deputy Chief Information Security Officer for General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT) and recognized Cyber Wonder Warrior. For links and resources discussed in this episode, please visit our show notes at https://www.forcepoint.com/govpodcast/e135

Enrique Oti, Chief Technology Officer for Second Front Systems joins us for a candid discussion on the opportunities and challenges in innovating government software development, deployment and acquisition as founder of the U.S. Air Force's Kessel Run program and co-founder of the Defense Innovation Unit in Silicon Valley. He shares insights on finding the right talent to build teams, importance of red team testing and continuous monitoring, how compliance introduces insecurity into the system, and what we could achieve when accrediting teams sit with developers. For links and resources discussed in this episode, please visit our show notes at https://www.forcepoint.com/govpodcast/e134

Welcome to our first SPECIAL EPISODE where we cover breaking news as it happens. Today we catch up with Joe Uchill, senior reporter at SC Media, to discuss the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack making headlines this week and why we continue to see escalating attacks in frequency, ransom demands and high value targets such as critical infrastructure. Joe shares insights from his many years reporting from the cyber front lines speaking with government, regulatory, industry and hacking groups on what it would take to decrease the financial incentive and increase the criminal risk to make ransomware an undesirable pursuit. Spoiler alerts….ransomware gangs make mistakes and often hit "accidental" targets, regulating cryptocurrency is just as hard as it sounds, and while ransomware task forces can't agree on the most effective solution(s) to mitigate ransomware, most agree global cooperation would be at the top of the list! For links and resources discussed in this episode, please visit our show notes at https://www.forcepoint.com/govpodcast/e133

Part 2 of our two-part series with Mariam Baksh, Cybersecurity Policy Reporter at NextGov. As a reporter on the front lines of security policy as it happens Mariam shares perspective on how cyber picked her, rhetorical catchphrases shaping global perception and cyber responses, gaining clarity on if or where cyber policy and partisan lines are drawn, drawing the line on sanctions, hybrid attacks, Cyber Diplomacy Act, the roles of standards bodies, auditing and incident response teams, and potential impact of a low price technically acceptable approach. You won't want to miss this insightful two-part discussion! For links and resources discussed in this episode, please visit our show notes at https://www.forcepoint.com/govpodcast/e132

This week we kick off a two-part series with Mariam Baksh, Cybersecurity Policy Reporter at NextGov. As a reporter on the front lines of security policy as it happens Mariam shares perspective on how cyber picked her, rhetorical catchphrases shaping global perception and cyber responses, gaining clarity on if or where cyber policy and partisan lines are drawn, drawing the line on sanctions, hybrid attacks, Cyber Diplomacy Act, the roles of standards bodies, auditing and incident response teams, and potential impact of a low price technically acceptable approach. You won't want to miss this insightful two-part discussion! For links and resources discussed in this episode, please visit our show notes at https://www.forcepoint.com/govpodcast/e131

This week we discuss the importance of a focus on assuring resiliency of critical functions as the cybersecurity path ahead with Eric Goldstein, Executive Assistant Director for Cybersecurity for the Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). Eric also shares insights on executing CISA's mission in today's dynamic and exciting cybersecurity landscape, the criticality in prioritization and a risk-based approach in addressing security for critical infrastructure, the role of visibility and continuous assessment in addressing today's cyber landscape as well as pathways to standardizing cyber breach disclosure across government agencies and businesses of all sizes. Visit CISA.gov to learn more about CISA's mission and programs as well as the many professional opportunities to join one of today's most essential frontline cyber defense agencies. For links and resources discussed in this episode, please visit our show notes at https://www.forcepoint.com/govpodcast/e130

This week we catch up with Lisa Donnan, Partner at Option3 Ventures to discuss the world of cyber venture capital and private equity and the importance of disruptive technology and commercialization for breaking through the white noise of the more than 3,500 cyber start-ups today. And she shares insights on why the SMB market is a $50B opportunity for cyber, why the U.S. needs a cyber moonshot to catch up, the criticality of security by design and why Cyberspace Solarium Commission is a good start but, ultimately, as we consider public/private partnerships' success ahead who carries the stick for actions, accountability and milestones? And, Eric recommends his favorite book of the week "Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know" by Adam Grant. For links and resources discussed in this episode, please visit our show notes at https://www.forcepoint.com/govpodcast/e129

This week we sit down with Charlene Mowery, Director of Strategic Initiatives at Red Hat who shares insights and lessons learned on leadership and moving forward seemingly impossible and incredibly complex multi-stakeholder initiatives to success, such as the Ford Island Master Development Agreement. She also dives into the impact of DevSecOps in recent years, the software supply chain, importance of a cloud-first mentality, hybrid cloud and shared responsibility models, and how the Cyberspace Solarium Commission is helping bring forward the criticality of speed and agility in cybersecurity today. And, she shares her perspective on encouraging the next generation of STEM talent and why they should "Be Bold". For links and resources discussed in this episode, please visit our show notes at https://www.forcepoint.com/govpodcast/e128

The next two weeks we catch up with SC Media Editor-in-Chief Jill Aitoro for a two-part discussion on the latest hot cybersecurity news drivers such as the continuing Microsoft Exchange hacker feeding frenzy and continuing discoveries from the SolarWinds supply chain attack. Both of which raise more questions than answers in how we collectively solve for these security challenges including pathways such as legal requirements for notifications, who do you notify and who is notified first, security ratings systems for software suppliers and businesses and managing such a system on a global scale across organizations small and large. We also explore the role of superadmins and where the line of offensive strategies against nation-state attackers should be drawn for enterprises. And in celebration of March 2021 as Women's History Month, we discuss the path forward for enabling future female business leaders in security and the power of mentoring and advocacy for the up and coming generation of diverse leaders and thinkers across the industry to solve what is admittedly one of the most significant challenges of the modern era – cybersecurity. For links and resources discussed in this episode, please visit our show notes at https://www.forcepoint.com/govpodcast/e127

The next two weeks we catch up with SC Media Editor-in-Chief Jill Aitoro for a two-part discussion on the latest hot cybersecurity news drivers such as the continuing Microsoft Exchange hacker feeding frenzy and continuing discoveries from the SolarWinds supply chain attack. Both of which raise more questions than answers in how we collectively solve for these security challenges including pathways such as legal requirements for notifications, who do you notify and who is notified first, security ratings systems for software suppliers and businesses and managing such a system on a global scale across organizations small and large. We also explore the role of superadmins and where the line of offensive strategies against nation-state attackers should be drawn for enterprises. And in celebration of March 2021 as Women's History Month, we discuss the path forward for enabling future female business leaders in security and the power of mentoring and advocacy for the up and coming generation of diverse leaders and thinkers across the industry to solve what is admittedly one of the most significant challenges of the modern era – cybersecurity. For links and resources discussed in this episode, please visit our show notes at https://www.forcepoint.com/govpodcast/e126