U.S. Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM), located at Fort Meade, Maryland, is the nation's 10th Unified Combatant Command. USCYBERCOM is responsible for directing, synchronizing, and coordinating cyberspace planning and operations in defense of the United States and its interests. As early as 1972, external consultants to the Department of Defense warned of grave dangers in terms of vulnerabilities in computers and network security. Fast forward to 1995, and then Director of the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) – Air Force Lt. Gen. Albert Edmonds told a gathering at the John F. Kennedy School of Government that the United States military was indeed vulnerable to remote network attacks. Aware of the growing threats, the DoD and the armed forces responded with a series of measures aimed at addressing the issue head on. In 2010, USCYBERCOM became operational.

Ransomware is a type of malware that prevents or limits users from accessing their system, either by locking the system's screen or by locking the users' files unless a ransom is paid. Ransomware variants have been employed for several years, with the goal of extorting money from victims by displaying an on-screen alert. Typically, these alerts state that the user’s systems have been locked or that the user’s files have been encrypted. Users are then told that unless a ransom is paid, access will be denied. The ransom demanded from individuals varies greatly, from as a little as a few hundred dollars to as much as hundreds of thousands of dollars. And ransomware attacks are growing more common with each passing day.

There’s no end in sight with cybercrime,. It’s simply going to expand – rapidly and aggressively – costing the global economy a staggering $6 Trillion annually by 2021. Cyber Attacks are common. How common? According to a recent study, approximately 78 percent of organization throughout the U.S. have experienced a cyber-attack in the past year. Cybercrime is Rampant for Individuals. Roughly in in four Americans say that they or someone in their household has been a victim of cybercrime in the past year.

China seeks a methodical, deliberate, and calculated approach to cyberwarfare against the United States. Instead of making front page news with likes of the Sony attacks and WannaCry ransomware attacks like North Korea, the China are the “silent dragon”, pushing forth with a plan to seamlessly infiltrate America’s economic engine by any number of means. Perhaps the most ominous reflection regarding China came from FBI Director Wray, who in 2018 stated that “China’s goal, simply put, is to replace the U.S. as the world’s largest global superpower.” Trade wars. Cyber wars. The real battle for America in the new millennium will be with China.

What’s on China’s wish list when it comes to nation state attacks? Almost anything, the experts say. Anything that can disrupt our economic way of life. Anything that can give the Chinese an upper hand over the Unites States. So, how did the world’s most populous country (1.4 billion) become such a force in cyberterrorism? For starters, more than half of China’s population is online, so that’s quite a few hackers to choose from when the government goes looking for the best and brightest. And China has been launching cyber-attacks for the last two decades, with great success.

China has long been a thorn in America’s side when it comes to nation state attacks, and for some various obvious reasons. China wants to be in the know about everything America does, as China feels threatened by America’s technology might. Their quest for global domination requires China to learn everything they can about how America’s infrastructure works, which means stealing valuable information at any cost. China clearly saw the role of high technology in the aftermath of America’s stunning victory in Gulf War I, in 1991. Impressed by the United States military power, China adopted a strategic policy aimed at “winning local wars in conditions of modern technology, particularly high technology” regarding future military encounters. In 2004, just a year after the start of Gulf War II, China’s strategy shifted to that of “winning local wars under conditions of informationization.” As the Chinese saw it, “informationization has become the key factor in enhancing the warfighting capability of the armed forces.”

Artificial Intelligence – simply known as “AI”, is intelligence demonstrated via processing by machines, particularly, computing systems. Remember the fear many years ago, “will robots replace humans”? Thankfully, that won’t happen anytime soon – or hopefully, ever – but AI is growing aggressively, becoming one of technology’s great disrupters of the new millennium. By 2021, artificial intelligence (AI) augmentation will create a $2.9 trillion of business value and 6.2 billion hours of worker productivity globally, that, according to Gartner, Inc. So, what’s “augmented intelligence”? According to Gartner, it’s “…a human-centered partnership model of people and AI working together to enhance cognitive performance,” which includes decision making and new experiences.

The world is awash in cybersecurity attacks, and there seems to be no end in sight. What was once a rarity is now being accepted as commonplace in today’s world as data breaches just keep coming and coming, an almost one-way freight train that can’t be stopped. Think of the recent high-profile cyber-attacks and how devastating they’ve been – the Sony Pictures breach of 2014, Yahoo’s compromise of hundreds of millions of user accounts from 2012 to 2014, and to top it all off, Equifax, the company who makes a living reporting, securing, and monitoring credit files, and their massive – and no doubt embarrassing – data breach that occurred in 2017.

The 2020 predictions for unfilled cyber jobs has essentially held true at the time of this printing, so how bad will it get for 2021? Experts point to a staggering 3.5 million unfilled cybersecurity jobs by 2021. There’s simply not enough talent to keep up with the massive growth in the industry, that, according to various experts. As the world becomes more connected, we’re going to need more cybersecurity professionals to secure the seemingly endless networks and devices that bridge our lives together, but we simply don’t have enough of them. The results are cybersecurity jobs going unfilled for months, leaving businesses highly exposed to security threats. What’s worse, whatever IT personnel an organization may have on staff, they often lack the necessary technical expertise for building a true cybersecurity program.

In this show, I will journey deep into the dark world of cybersecurity, offering listeners a rare glimpse into the front lines of what’s become arguably one of the most important issues of our lifetime. With more than twenty years of national security and cybersecurity expertise, I work with organizations all throughout the globe – from startups to some of the world’s most iconic brands – in battling today’s cyber pandemic, and my insights are compelling and unparalleled. I now consult regularly with top political and business leaders throughout the world, including former vice presidents of the United States, White House chiefs of staff, secretaries of state, ambassadors, high-ranking intelligence officials, CEOs, entrepreneurs, civic leaders, and others. But more than cybersecurity war stories, Serious Cybersecurity will offer invaluable insight for organizations anywhere looking to design and deploy a robust cybersecurity program. From national security implications to keeping your business safe and secure, this is the podcast for all things cyber.