In a recent article, writer Adam Clark Estates shared that, “Over the next three years, the U.S. Army will be filling its brand new cyber warfare institute at West Point with the best and brightest hackers it can find.” This approach aligns well with the sentiments recently expressed by Nawaf Bitar at the RSA Conference in San Francisco in his keynote, “The Next World War Will Be Fought in Silicon Valley.”
It isn’t sufficient for nations to protect only their physical borders. They must protect more. They must protect critical data and infrastructures, including financial systems, wireless communications, electric power grids, oil and natural gas systems, and others, from cybercrime.
Here are three actions to consider as part of embarking on this important endeavor:
1. Evaluate and deploy state of the art/best of breed security and intelligence systems to protect critical infrastructure, especially with the proliferation of multitudes of “smart” gadgets and the inception of “machine-to-machine” communications taking place amongst residents and citizens both within and outside the nation’s borders and which are vulnerable to cyber-attack.
2. Selectively hire white hat hackers who can seek out vulnerabilities in the network.
3. Recruit experienced IT security specialists who will oversee and manage the deployed security systems as well as take rapid action on detected vulnerabilities and remediate post-breach.
While the initiative of taking cybercrime as seriously as physical warfare is agreeable, building a comprehensive and strong plan and “army” who will adeptly fight black hat hackers and “beat them at their own game” is no small feat. As part of building its security intelligence arsenal, federal and law enforcement agencies may want to consider Juniper’s intrusion deception approach that helps stop threats and attackers before they can do harm.
Before embarking on the battle against cybercrime, ensure you have the right plan, people and protection to maximize your chances of success against the enemy!