In this episode, Steve is in conversation with Betsy Cooper, director of the Aspen Policy Academy at the Aspen Institute. As an expert in cyber and tech policy, Betsy shares her thoughts on how policymakers can keep pace with the rapid developments in AI and quantum technology, building a futureproof compliance strategy, and AI risks. Steve and Betsy also discuss policymaking in a volatile world, how businesses can protect their image after a breach, and what can be done to get governments to care about online scams.

Key Takeaways:

1. Legislative experiments at the local and regional levels will be key for crafting strong, sensible, tech policy on the national level.
2. Tabletop exercises are one of the best tools for preparing the C-suite for breaches and attacks.
3. People must start to speak up against the growing prevalence of having to trade privacy for access to the most basic online tools and sites.

1. Creating a “future-proof” compliance strategy (7:11)
2. Protecting your brand following a breach, data theft, or disinformation campaigns (13:35)
3. Trading access for personal information (22:31)

1. “I do think that it would be preferable to have one coherent framework. I think industry would benefit from that if we did have that sort of framework. But also, I'm not sure that we're at the level of sophistication today that we'd be able to write the best framework because we haven't experimented enough. So I actually think that having the state and local sort of sandboxes leading to future federal policy is not a bad approach.” - Betsy Cooper
2. “It's a very difficult thing to try to prove a negative, and that's why disinformation can be so powerful. But it's also a very fast-moving space, so the faster you can get in there with your counter-narrative, the more likely you are to be successful.” - Betsy Cooper
3. “I'm the mother of a five-year-old, and in order to get my five-year-old's baseball schedule, I have to download an app on my phone. There is no web access for the app that has the baseball schedule. So in order to get that baseball schedule, I have to sign away a whole bunch of privacy just to get my kid to a sports game. I think that shouldn't be allowed.” - Betsy Cooper

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From the Information Security Forum, the leading authority on cyber, information security, and risk management.

Today’s guest is Dr. Keith Morneau, an experienced cybersecurity professional who currently serves as Dean of Computer and Information Science at ECPI University. Steve and Kieth discuss the future of the cyber workforce, cyber education, and if AI is taking our jobs. Steve also asks Keith to step into the shoes of a CEO…

Key Takeaways:

1. In today’s cyber world, having an understanding of how systems interact is more important than ever.
2. People with non-technical backgrounds are often quick learners when it comes to cyber, and bring in fresh perspectives.
3. In new hires, executives should look for people who understand how to work with AI.

1. How AI can help junior staff and those entering the cyber workforce (6:15)
2. Dr. Morneau’s ”prepare, practice, perform, assess” philosophy (13:23)
3. One obsolete role chief executives should stop hiring for, and one emerging role they haven't even thought about yet (21:15)

1. “We’re really still in the baby steps of AI, in the beginning stages of it. What I’ve noticed of a lot of folks, there’s AI there, but they’re not 100% understanding how it all works, how the AI actually has to be trained and all that. I think over time what we'll see is the increase in knowledge and skill set using AI for what they’re doing in their jobs should help with the bottom line over time.” - Dr. Keith Morneau
2. “The biggest issue in cybersecurity are the AI systems that are very vulnerable to attacks.” - Dr. Keith Morneau
3. “The type of person you need to look at is the person who’s able to use AI to do the job that you need them to be able to do better and faster, and be more efficient at it. What you have to be careful of is the people that are going to be obsolete are the ones that are basically fighting the AI and not using AI at all to help them, because that is pretty much they are going to be dinosaurs soon, if they’re not already dinosaurs.” - Dr. Keith Morneau

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From the Information Security Forum, the leading authority on cyber, information security, and risk management.

In today’s episode, Steve sits down with John “Jock" Brocas, a former military member who is now an executive mentor and strategic intuitive intelligence advisor to the C-suite. Jock is far from your typical cyber professional, but his experience working with executives gives him a compelling perspective on challenges faced in our industry. Steve and Jock discuss how we can train ourselves to block out the noise and become better at recognizing the real threats to our business, the value of mindfulness and managing stress, and why leaders must see the big picture. Jock also shares his thoughts on deepfakes, from the perspective of a medium.

Key Takeaways:

1. Adopting a warrior mindset means blending logic and intuition.
2. Taking a break, even just for a few seconds, is crucial to managing stressful situations.
3. Meditating can help you become better at discerning what matters and what doesn’t.

1. Discerning the signal from the noise ()
2. How leaders can help their teams manage stress, both long-term and in acute situations ()
3. Jock’s thoughts on deepfakes ()

1. “Logic and intuition are not separate. And this is the biggest mistake we make. We don't fail in making decisions, especially in the cyber world because of the amount of data we have. We fail at the discernment of maybe that data.” - Jock Brocas
2. “I think it’s important as well that looking at a more spiritual outlook to things, not religious in any way, a meditative or a contemplative side of things. And how many security professionals or cybersecurity professionals take time for themselves to actually even breathe in between doing something?” - Jock Brocas
3. “Discernment, even as a cyber professional, is important. So discernment of the self, discernment of the mind, that's important.” - Jock Brocas

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From the Information Security Forum, the leading authority on cyber, information security, and risk management.