Michael Echols reports that a continuously growing architecture of networks, systems, and assets creates unseen ties between each of us. While these digital connections enable faster communication and innovation to power our economy, they create new vulnerabilities that are a liability for companies and organizations. It is no longer sufficient to secure the systems inside our networks and feel safe. The threat may emerge through partners in external organizations or systems that we think we know. In 2014, Target had its information systems breached by hackers who used network credentials stolen from the company HVAC vendor. Just last week, email users were targeted by a sophisticated phishing scam that impersonated a Google Docs request to fool the user into granting permissions to a malicious third party application.
The threat of cyberattack is the 12-headed mythical monster of our time, just when one danger is neutralized, a new one appears. It is eating through budgets and keeping experts guessing about the next network casualty. Our adversaries take advantage of today connectivity to use legitimate systems and exploit vulnerabilities. The adversary uses the top technology to share information about vulnerabilities and in other cases makes it affordable in marketplaces on the Dark Web. Cyber intelligence is the commitment to prevent incidents before they take place, instead taking the old FEMA approach of cleaning up after the disaster has occurred. National resilience is dependent on our willingness to develop the comprehensive security practices and minimal standards to guard our digital society.
We must prioritize solutions to address the growing cyber threat in order to fulfill our commitment to secure these United States. The current national systems and approaches favor those making money from the exfiltration and criminal activities. You need an attorney just to do breach reporting because of the 47 different breach reporting laws across the nation.
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