American companies have seen a sharp increase in large cyberattacks in 2021, including the SolarWinds hack, the Colonial Pipeline crisis, the Microsoft Exchange Server exploit and the Babuk ransomware attacks. These cyberattacks have left companies of every size and industry asking questions. What is the U.S. government doing to defend against cybercriminals? How do we defend our companies against cybercrime? What cybersecurity tools and solutions can help us to fight back? 

Niloofar Razi Howe, Chair of the Board of Directors, and Lyndon Brown, Chief Strategy Officer, provide answers to these important questions and offer their perspectives on cybercrime and today’s complex cybersecurity landscape in The Next Phase of Cybersecurity podcast with host Max Gurtain. Niloo and Lyndon discuss powerful topics such as:

  • Motivations and strategies of cybercriminals. Our adversaries are stealing our defense secrets, personal information and intellectual property, and they are profiting from these crimes without penalty. Cybercriminals are taking advantage of vulnerabilities within the U.S. system and are using out-of-date laws and regulations, such as our infrastructure surveillance regulation, against us. 

“There is no silver bullet,” says Niloo. “It will be a hundred different things we have to do simultaneously to make a dent in the issue. We need to do more, faster.” Niloo offers a few suggestions for how to make that happen.

  • The talent shortage. Across the industry, there’s a massive talent shortage. Niloo talks about the hard work that cyber experts are doing in the industry and discusses some innovative options for encouraging new people into the industry and bringing experienced talent back to cybersecurity. 
  • Ways to defend against attackers. Defenders can never let their guard down against cybercriminals. The private sector needs to stay vigilant and understand that any company can be a target. Niloo also explains how government must do its part to hold countries accountable for harboring cybercriminals. 
  • Company pain points. Lyndon discusses the issues that keep executives up at night: budgets, the increasingly brazen behavior of attackers, compliance issues and the challenges of maturing their cybersecurity programs.
  • Cybersecurity approaches. Best practices for effective cybersecurity have evolved as the scale of attacks has evolved. Companies need to understand the current cyber landscape and know which products and services work best for their needs. 

“The attack landscape is drastically increasing, and the average business simply does not have the threat intelligence or the human capital to not only keep the attackers out but also deal with attackers once they gain access,” says Lyndon. He discusses products and services that companies will want to consider to protect their data.

Cybercriminals are launching more sophisticated attacks, and any company can be a target. Learn what you can do to make a dent in the fight against cybercrime. Listen to the podcast.