American Security Officials Foresee Bright Cybersecurity Future

American Security Officials Foresee Bright Cybersecurity Future

cybersecurity

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A top cyber expert says he expects big changes soon on the US government’s approach on cybersecurity. Retired Lt. Gen. Harry Raduege, who has advised the Obama and Trump administrations and is now the director for cyber risk services at consulting firm Deloitte, says the time is right for Congress and the military to advance their cybersecurity efforts.

He said recent cyber attacks, from hacking credit cards at stores to stealing email from the Democratic National Committee have taken the topic of computer security into the mainstream. “Cyber is now in the boardroom and the situation room,” Raduege said during a stop at the Rocky Mountain Cyberspace Symposium recently at The Broadmoor.

Raduege played a role in the increased awareness of America’s computer vulnerabilities. He helped lead a 2009 panel that helped President Barack Obama set priorities for cybersecurity. Last fall Raduege joined a group of experts through the Center for Strategic and International Studies that readied a similar report for incoming President Donald Trump.

“It’s critical that we haven’t moved fast enough,” Raduege said of the nation’s efforts in an interview for military.com. He explained that moving fast is a key component to staying safe in cyberspace.

The willingness of Congress to aggressively work to thwart hackers is at an all-time high, Raduege said. “There are all these committees and subcommittees and they all have questions on cyber,” he said. “They have their oar in the water.”

President Trump, too, has voiced serious concerns about America’s ability to counter hackers.

Colorado U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman agreed with Raduege, saying with Congress and the White House in Republican hands, bills could move more swiftly. And top leaders are making computer security a top issue. “It’s an emphasis for the Defense Department,” said Coffman, who heads the manpower subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee.

Raduege said he’s also bullish on the burgeoning cyber industry growing in Colorado Springs. The Pikes Peak region has an estimated 13,000 cybersecurity workers and is home to the National Cyber Security Center, Air Force Space command, which oversees that service’s work in cyberspace, and Cyberworx, a new Air Force Academy-based initiative that will help the Pentagon combat cyber attacks. Cyberworx focuses on technological innovation through design thinking, cadet education and public-private partnerships, according to usafa.af.mil.