Over the past 25 years, organizations like the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), the National Cyber Investigative Joint Task Force (NCIJTF), and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) have been created. Uncovering and combating cybercrime remains a complex challenge for many reasons, but chief among them is the disconnect in data collection, sharing, and collaboration between the public and private sectors. The report is rooted in feedback from over 70 active and retired military cyber experts who all seem to agree on one thing: Cybercrime poses a serious and growing threat to national security, and it's time to do something about it. Cybercrime isn't just an inconvenience — it's a serious threat capable of disrupting essential infrastructure, endangering public safety, and shaking the foundations of our financial systems and economy. But while there's been some progress over the past few decades toward stronger national leadership on cybersecurity, the truth is that there's been a lot of added red tape with no clear responsible party. Data: Taking that one step further and sharing more data between agencies and the private sector would make a tangible difference in how prepared organizations and municipalities are for known and emerging vulnerabilities. At the highest levels of government, the US has made a strong push to identify, address, and communicate emerging and critical cyber threats. With investment in cybersecurity capabilities and proactive measures to address emerging challenges, we can work together to navigate the complexities of combating cybercrime. But the big question we've yet to fully address is whether there's sufficient collaboration between the public and private sectors and if our response times are suffering because of it. There has to be a faster, simpler way for leaders from both the public and private sectors to connect, share insights, and issue clear instructions for vulnerabilities, patches, and more. But there's still room to tighten the partnership between public and private sectors regarding cybersecurity. Recent initiatives prove that when we harness technology, coordinate effectively, and build stronger public-private partnerships, we can significantly bolster our defenses, reducing the impact of cybercrime on individuals and institutions. Keep up with the latest cybersecurity threats, newly discovered vulnerabilities, data breach information, and emerging trends. We've all seen the headlines in recent years — from a cyberattack on an energy pipeline that disrupted the fuel supply across parts of the US to a large-scale ransomware attack on a health insurance provider that led to a massive leak of personal data. Despite decades of progress on building federal alignment around cybersecurity as a key priority, there's still no clear voice leading the charge. He has been securing MSPs and their clients for more than 10 years through various roles in software quality assurance, business intelligence, and information security. Insights: If we unify data collection, analysis, and sharing, we can give policymakers and practitioners a clearer picture of cybercrime — its scope, its patterns, and where to hit back with precision. Hacking back: There are pros and cons to this option, but I'd like to see the federal government explore how to build skills to hack the hackers, and somewhat importantly, what the rules of engagement would be for companies and local governments. Critical infrastructure, essential utilities like power and water, local municipalities and services (think 911 and EMS), small and midsize businesses, and healthcare — not one of these is off-limits to cybercriminals. Collaboration: Create task forces between government and industry that scale to the highest levels of government and the gravest threats, responding in a coordinated, powerful way.
This Cyber News was published on www.darkreading.com. Publication date: Thu, 13 Feb 2025 15:00:11 +0000