Battling the Persistent Cyber Threat in Today's World
Presentation Technical Level
Intermediate - The next step beyond the basics. For attendees with some industry experience.
Summary of Topic
The Internet has evolved over the course of nearly four decades from a remarkable technical achievement supporting a limited set of users to a massive global system that has become an essential element of our daily lives, an engine for global commerce, and a vital component of our national security. However, as the Internet has grown at an exponential rate around the world, so have the number of individuals, groups, and nations who wish to do others harm or take advantage of the information available in cyberspace. How did this happen? The Internet’s defining characteristic was that it was built on such core principles as flexibility, openness, speed, and value. Security was never a driving consideration. With the dramatic rise of threats to a system rife with vulnerabilities, we must now consider not only what protections and security measures are necessary but what we must do in order to ensure we remain resilient and quickly able to recover as a result of any attacks we do face.
Submitters
Presenters
Michael Chertoff, Chertoff Group
Title
CEO
Presenter Biography
As Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security from 2005 to 2009, Mr. Chertoff led the country in blocking would-be terrorists from crossing our borders or implementing their plans if they were already in the country. He also transformed FEMA into an effective organization following Hurricane Katrina. His greatest successes have earned few headlines – because the important news is what didn’t happen.
At Chertoff Group, Mr. Chertoff will provide high-level strategic counsel to corporate and government leaders on a broad range of security issues, from risk identification and prevention to preparedness, response and recovery. “Risk management has become the CEO’s concern,” he says. “We help our clients develop comprehensive strategies to manage risk without building barriers that get in the way of carrying on their business.”
Before heading up the Department of Homeland Security, Mr. Chertoff served as a federal judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Earlier, during more than a decade as a federal prosecutor, he investigated and prosecuted cases of political corruption, organized crime, corporate fraud and terrorism – including the investigation of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Mr. Chertoff is a magna cum laude graduate of Harvard College (1975) and Harvard Law School (1978). From 1979-1980 he served as a clerk to Supreme Court Justice William Brennan, Jr.
In addition to his role at Chertoff Group, Mr. Chertoff is also senior of counsel at Covington & Burling LLP, and a member of the firm’s White Collar Defense and Investigations practice group.