To show just how quickly things change, the Aspen Cyber Summit was held last week, and unlike the year prior, where it wasn't mentioned once, the agenda this year was brimming with conversations about generative AI. The #HWCyberSquad spent the day at the 92nd Street Y in New York City, supporting clients, attending talks, and meeting reporters. Here's what we learned:
There's a class system happening within AI: The opening panel set the tone for the rest of the day on whether AI would have a larger impact for attackers or defenders. Sean Joyce, Global Cybersecurity and Privacy Leader, US Cyber, Risk, and Regulatory Leader at PwC, put it best when he said that AI is "becoming the haves and have nots." Many companies are not at the maturity level to leverage AI, but their adversaries are using AI against them.
AI and the decline of trust will impact the 2024 elections: AI has sent our information environment into overdrive, leading to declined trust among voters today. During Chris Krebs' panel, Chief Intelligence and Public Policy Officer, SentinelOne, and Former CISA Director, he explained the “information warfare” the U.S. is facing and harped on the need to mitigate misinformation ahead of the 2024 elections by educating voters on AI risks.
SEC disclosure rules call for cyber maturity in the boardroom: Disclosure timeline, materiality, CISO expectations — these topics were heard throughout the day. In a session on navigating the SEC’s corporate cyber disclosure rules, C-Suite panelists touched on the confusion among board members when it comes to addressing the rules ahead of December 15. With only 12% of S&P 500 companies having board directors with relevant cyber credentials, Gary Steele, President & CEO at Splunk explained the importance of boardroom and CISO alignment, noting that cyber education and maturity are needed on boards to make the “mechanics” of these rules work.
Defending critical infrastructure starts with community collaboration: Nation-state activity is at an all-time high, posing a significant threat to our critical infrastructure. Panelists from key government agencies such as CISA, the Department of Energy, and the NSA pleaded for greater community collaboration on threat intel across the private and public sectors to shore up our nation’s defenses as foreign adversaries become more sophisticated. The esteemed panelists agreed that there is a need to define what is good in terms of defense — and share that definition across industries and sectors.
You can count on the #HWCyberSquad to continue monitoring how these trends will unfold over the next year. Only time will tell what we’ll be discussing at the 2024 Aspen Cyber Summit — we hope to see you there! In the meantime, contact us if you need support.
