Making a Difference (albeit small) in Cyber Security
Friends ask me what I've been doing lately. One of my current focus areas is stopping the extensive cyber espionage that threatens US national and economic security. So I thought I would share the story of how I was able to play a small role in assisting the US Attorney for the Western PA district (located in Pittsburgh) obtain the indictment of 5 Chinese hackers.
The press release from the Department of Justice, released on May 19, 2014, is the first attachment. At the end of the release, you will see the name David Hickton. David is the US Attorney for the Western PA district. David called me on May 20 to thank me for the speech on cyber security that I gave in Pittsburgh at his request in January of 2013. This speech stirred up the leadership of the city and gave David the support he needed to pursue the indictment.
My Pittsburgh speech came about because I gave a different talk at the Aerospace Industries Association Board meeting late in 2012. In that speech I was asked to address the impact of down-sizing the defense investment budget during the Clinton administration while I served as the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition & Technology. I was asked to compare what I experienced then with what I expected in the coming DOD down-sizing. I listed a number of things that I expected to be the same or similar, then a list of things that would be different. One of the differences I noted was the extensive cyber espionage we are facing and the expected negative impact on our national security as well as our economic security that will follow.
David Hickton's wife, Dawne Hickton attended that talk. Dawn is the CEO of Pittsburgh- based RTI International Metals. She was very interested in what I had to say about cyber espionage, told me of her husband's interest and concerns, and told me that she would suggest that he call me and ask me to address that subject with the leadership of Pittsburgh. I came to Pittsburgh because I thought this issue was important and this was an opportunity to make a difference. I also came because I was Chairman of the RAND board, and RAND had recently established a significant new office in Pittsburgh.
David made all the arrangements, asking me to speak with several groups that included business leaders, technology leaders, law enforcement at federal, state, and local levels, and the press. He also asked me to speak with a group that I would not have considered - the heads of the labor unions in Pittsburgh. They were quick to understand the relationship between cyber espionage and loss of American jobs. And since my talk was a few weeks before the inauguration in 2013, they were able to have their views in reaction to my talk have some impact in Washington. Their impact added to my activities on various advisory boards, and also to the very significant and courageous press release by Mandiant on the extent of cyber espionage. My speech is the second attachment, and I hope your reaction will be the same as that of the Pittsburgh leadership.
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[ Click Here to Download Department_of_Justice.pdf ]
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This article is in PDF format. You need to download it. You need an Adobe Acrobat PDF plug-in installed in your browser. If you do not, you can get it from http://Adobe.com. Look for the Adobe Reader.
[ Click Here to Download Cyber_Pittsburg_Jan_10_2013.pdf ]
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