Business Continuity Management / Disaster Recovery , Critical Infrastructure Security , Endpoint Security
Cyber Hygiene, Transformations, AI-Driven Collective Defense
GCA President Philip Reitinger Shares Updates, TrendsAs we bid farewell to 2023, Philip Reitinger, president and CEO of the Global Cyber Alliance, reflected on the state of global cyber hygiene, shedding light on what's working, what needs improvement, and the transformative shifts necessary to achieve a cyber-secure future.
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Reitinger acknowledged the positive strides that have been made in cyber hygiene through initiatives such as GCA Toolkits aiming to simplify the basics for end users. But, he said, there is a critical need for enhanced efforts, particularly in catering to those who are constrained by time.
"The challenge lies in reaching those who lack the time to engage," Reitinger said, emphasizing the urgency of achieving global-scale cyber hygiene. He advocated for a paradigm shift - a move toward providing security by design and default.
Looking ahead to 2024, Reitinger recommended a strategic focus on shifting the burden from end users to service providers. This monumental shift isn't confined to software but extends to encompass cloud and security services. The question that looms large is how this transition will be facilitated - through certification, standards or a combination of both.
Reitinger anticipated a transformative role for generative AI in bolstering cybersecurity defenses. "Imagine a world where we harness generative AI to analyze massive datasets collected from various internet sources to detect and respond to security events collectively. With the vast network and uninfected devices at our disposal, true, automated, AI-driven collective defense becomes our long-term hope for success," he said.
In a video interview with Information Security Media Group, Reitinger discussed:
- Updates from GCA initiatives and collaborations in 2023;
- Areas in which SMEs still need to raise the bar and how they can do so;
- How the cybersecurity industry can harness the benefits of generative AI.
In 2009, Reitinger was appointed to serve as the deputy undersecretary for the National Protection and Programs Directorate and the director of the National Cyber Security Center in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. In these roles, he led the department's efforts to reduce risks across physical and cyber infrastructures and coordinated public and private sector responses to cyber security incidents. Earlier in his government career, he was the first executive director of the U.S. Department of Defense's Cyber Crime Center, which provides electronic forensic services and supports cyber investigative functions. He also served as deputy chief of the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section at the U.S. Department of Justice, where he was one of the first dedicated cybercrime prosecutors in the Criminal Division.