If you took away only one message from the George Washington University’s inaugural “Cybersecurity, Stronger Together: Public Private Partnership” conference, it would have been that maintaining cybersecurity is a problem not just for experts, but for everyone—government officials, businesspeople and everyday citizens.
The conference, co-hosted by GW’s College of Professional Studies and the Cyber Guild, assembled leaders from government, industry and academia to discuss issues and problems encountered by those working to counter evolving threats from foreign governments, cybercriminals and others. It is the first in what is planned as an annual event.
Liesl Riddle, dean of CPS, delivered welcoming remarks to kick off the half-day conference. After thanking the sponsors of the event—Leidos, Paladin Capital Group, ManTech and Diatonic Consulting—she stressed the importance of personal relationships in confronting cybersecurity threats.
“As leaders, we all know that cybersecurity is not just about technology. It’s about people,” Riddle said, adding that CPS is “committed to helping organizations like yours build that workforce.” She also announced the launch of GW CyberForge, “a library of micro-credentials and professional development program.”
Brief remarks were also offered by Chris Rodriguez, assistant city administrator for Washington, D.C., who oversees the District’s AI initiatives and IT infrastructure. After noting that the city supports much of the federal government’s IT infrastructure as well as the private sector, he said no single sector can face the threats alone.
“The District of Columbia is uniquely positioned to foster collaboration between the government and the private sector,” he said, adding that GW is a center for both action and dialogue on cybersecurity issues.
The Cyber Guild’s executive director, Debbie Sallis, joined in welcoming conference attendees.
“We’re here to talk about some pretty serious stuff—protecting our digital assets, safeguarding our sensitive data and keeping our systems and, frankly, our world secure,” Sallis said, before emphasizing the importance of personal relationships, such as those between members of the Cyber Guild and members of the GW community, in addressing cyber threats.
The keynote session was introduced by Connie Uthoff, director of the Cybersecurity Strategy and Information Management program and assistant professor.
“Cybersecurity is not just a technical challenge,” Uthoff said. “It is a national security imperative. And it affects every sector, every organization, every government all around the world” with threats “advancing at an unprecedented pace … driven by emerging technologies, artificial intelligence, and increasingly sophisticated threat actors.”
Keynote speaker Amy Gilliland, the president of General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT), a global technology firm, responded to questions from Roger Cressey, a partner at Mountain Waves Ventures, where he advises clients on cybersecurity policy and risk issues.
“Our systems are under attack all the time,” Gilliland said, and GDIT doesn’t lack opportunities to respond. “From a cyber perspective, we have a pretty good pulse on what our adversaries are doing in the moment.”
As crucial as it is to respond to intelligence reports about threats in the moment, she said, it’s just as important to stay ahead of the threats.
“Intel is great, but if it’s not actionable or if you don’t get it until after the threat has become real, it’s useless,” she said.
While the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a 32% growth in cyber jobs in the next seven years, Cressey noted the challenges of solving problems with a shrinking federal workforce.
AI can be useful in meeting some of the challenges ahead, Gilliland said. For example, aerial vehicles and drones flying over Alaska and other places where drones can be difficult to track may be tracked more quickly and efficiently by AI. The biggest challenge ahead, she said, is “making sure we have the right people in the right places.”
The opening keynote was followed by two panels. The first, looking at the future of national cybersecurity, was introduced by Scott J. White, associate professor and director of the Cybersecurity Program. Panelists offering strategies for developing the cybersecurity workforce and recommendations for strengthening national security included Morgan Adamski, of the U.S. Cyber Command; Matt Hayden of GDIT; Alison King from Forescout Technologies; Michael McLaughlin, of Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney, PC; and Kathryn Wang, of SandboxAQ. Lucian Niemeyer, CEO of Building Cyber Security, served as moderator.
The second panel focused chiefly on the importance of sharing information to strengthen security on the cyber front. Introduced by Jose Carlos Linares, CEO of IG Digital, the panel included Michael Matechak of Diatonic Consulting; Sean Stalzer, of Dominion Energy; Jeremy Stanley, of Cisco Systems (U.S. Public Sector); Darby LaJoye, of Leidos; Devin Lynch, of Paladin Global Institute; and Paul Beckman, of ManTech. The panel was moderated by Peter Eck, associate partner of Cybersecurity Service at IBM Consulting.
Hayden, Eck and Linares are members of the CPS Dean’s Advisory Council.
In a brief closing keynote delivered on video, Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist and Craig Newmark Philanthropies, spoke of launching a national “cyber civil defense” plan, calling on “regular people” to take basic measures to protect their homes and families. He envisions this effort as akin to the nationwide mobilization during World War II, and calls for a major focus on critical infrastructure—for example, relating to water and power.
“The fight to come will be within our country. It’s coming via cyberspace,” Newmark said, adding that cyber civil defense is about explaining why we fight as well as how we fight.
John Lach, dean of SEAS, delivered the conference’s concluding remarks. The conference, he said, was an early part in a series of ongoing conversations around ways to advance cybersecurity.
“Our organizations, our communities, and really, our nation and our world are depending on us, and we have to deliver,” Lach said, adding “This is a really big responsibility.”
Protecting cybersecurity is an interdisciplinary endeavor, Lach noted, adding, “It’s going to take us all to coming together, working across all of our different fields and organizations.”
GW’s location in the natin’s capital presents unique opportunities in the field, he said.
“We can generate the workforce that we need to lead us into the future of a secure world,” Lach said, adding, “These are hard problems.” Even if there’s no single solution to the problems we face, he concluded, there are things we can do.
“It will take all of us to make our world a more connected but secure global community,” Lach said.
