Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity is front and center for many Americans, from frequent data breaches compromising our personal information to foreign interference in our elections.

The string of highly visible breaches over the past several years has shed an immense spotlight on the seriousness of the cybersecurity challenges we face.

Our nation’s electric, banking and telecommunications sectors are under threat from Russia, China and other adversaries. The Federal government can’t share with these industries the intelligence it has collected on these threats – it’s classified.

While the internet’s borderless nature benefits the global economy and advances technological innovation, it has also led to the wide spread of cyber threats.

In today’s business world, IT has become more ubiquitous than ever; much sensitive data is online.

Around the holidays, “cyber” is often associated with shopping. Seventy-eight million Americans were expected to make online purchases Cyber Monday. While you’re filling your cart, businesses are guarding against cyberattacks.

They may not realize it, but campaigns are on the front lines of a 21st century cyber battle. Malicious actors are stepping up attacks to undermine our democracy.

Much effort has been expended on developing international cybersecurity norms that provide guardrails for responsible state behavior — indicating what actors should and shouldn’t do in cyberspace.

The internet was commercialized 27 years ago; a symbol that the end of the cold war meant universal adoption of liberal democracy. That was utopian.

Americans have the right to choose their elected government free from foreign interference.

My clients frequently ask how best to prepare for a breach. They know that, despite reasonable efforts, it is a matter of “when,” not “if,” such an event occurs.

Cyberattacks are increasing in frequency, impact and reach. In developing my annual National Security Management Course, which convenes senior military and civilian leaders to explore the most pressing global security challenges, the rise of cybersecurity threats is the new normal.

Large enterprises need to invest in the security of their value chains, which means helping small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) improve cyber risk management.

The exposure of consumer personal information is front and center in the headlines today. For companies, the loss of critical business data – trade secrets, confidential strategy documents and the like – can also result in reputational, financial or operational impacts.