28 January 2014
MCySec and the Cyber Security Student Working group hosted David Aucsmith, Senior Director of Microsoft’s Institute for Advanced Technology in Governments on 28 January 2014. In addition to holding 33 patents, Mr. Aucsmith has been heavily involved in computer security and cybercrime issues for more than 30 years. He has been an industry representative to numerous international, government and academic organizations including the National Academy advisory board on Survivability and Lethality Analysis and the Directorate Advisory Council for the National Security Directorate of Pacific Northwest National Labs. He is co-chairman of the FBI’s Information Technology Study Group, a member of the Secret Service Task Force on Computer Aided Counterfeiting, a member of the President’s Task Force on National Defense and Computer Technology and a member of the Department of Defense’s Global Information Grid Senior Industry Review Group. Aucsmith was also U.S. industry representative to the G8 Committee on Organized, Transnational and Technological Crime where he participated directly in the G8 summits in Paris, Berlin and Tokyo. At MIIS last week, Mr. Aucsmith presented on “Cyber Security and Beyond” which detailed the evolution of the internet, technological devices and cyber threats. He focused on the complicated relationship between the government and private sector in identifying and managing the cyber threats from state and non-state actors that exist today. Mr. Aucsmith concluded by demonstrating the multitude of ways the private sector is able to assist government entities in managing this phenomenon.
MIIS Provost Dr. Amy Sands and Highlands Group President Richard O’Neill signed a Memorandum of Understanding that paves the way for future joint MIIS MCySec-Highlands Group sessions that will explore the impact of technology on security, peace and information engagement. For over fifteen years the Highlands Group has engaged private sector and government leaders, including the Director of National Intelligence, DARPA, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Office of the Secretary of Homeland Security, and the Singaporean Minister of Defence, in creative conversations to frame policy and technology research areas.