Published on June 13th, 2022 📆 | 3664 Views ⚑
0Top cyber official urge for transformation in cyberspace
National Cyber Director Chris Inglis said Monday that the administration and federal agencies should prioritize transforming the way they approach and invest in cybersecurity, as previous efforts have ānot worked.ā
Ingles was speaking at cyber summit hosted by The Information Technology Industry Council on ways the public and private sector can combat cyber threats.
āI think that everything else that we have tried, as nobly intended, has not worked,ā Inglis said.Ā
āAnd so in order for us to then change the nature of the game, I think that we have to crowdsource the adversaries the way theyāve crowdsourced us,ā he added.
Crowdsourcing refers to bringing together actors to defend against a threat or attack a target. The Hill has reached out to Inglisā office for more details on his comments.
Inglis also said that despite some improvements in cyberspace over the years, the U.S. government still has a long way to go to compete with its adversaries.
The Biden administration and some lawmakers have places a renewed focus on cybersecurity following major disruptions including the war in Ukraine, the SolarWinds hack and the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack.
The Biden administration handed down an executive order last year aimed at improving the nationās cybersecurity through initiatives including threat information sharing between the government and the private sector, modernizing federal government cybersecurity standards and improving software supply chain security.
At the summit, Inglis said the needed transformation will be built upon both government initiatives and better collaboration with the private sector.Ā
āThat transformation is going to be built on the back of real work,ā Inglis said.
āAnd outside [the government], weāre kind of pushing hard for the government to stand up to its role to collaborate with the private sector,ā he added.Ā
In aĀ recent congressional hearing, cyber officials said they have made progress on securing federal networks through methods like two-factor authentification and encryption, though they too conceded there was more work to be done.
Inglis also warned Monday that cyberattacks, including ransomware, are enduring threats that will continue to persist and adapt. He said heās had conversations with people asking āwhen can we stopā defending the country against cyber threats.
āAnd unfortunately, the answer is weāll never not defend ourselves in cyberspace,ā Inglis said.Ā
āThe cost of entry for aggressors at this point is still far too low for us to essentiallyĀ assume that this is over. And therefore, we needā¦ to continue to defend ourselves,ā he added.Ā
Gloss