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As Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2024 comes to a close, it’s hard not to take stock of a digital landscape riddled with cyber breaches, ransomware, and government inefficiency.
Nothing captures our progress in cybersecurity better than knowing we’re one phishing scam away from losing our email passwords, social security numbers, and, most tragically, our sense of digital and overall security.
This election year puts us at a crucial turning point.
The future of cybersecurity — and, to a lesser extent, the legislative direction of artificial intelligence, especially with Apple Intelligence launching this month — will heavily depend on who takes the helm in the White House in January 2025.
But let’s face it: America isn’t exactly leading the charge in the cyberworld right now.
If we want to take the lead in global cyber defense, we need to stop treating the issue as an afterthought at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which is starting to resemble the DMV of federal agencies.
Alejandro Mayorkas, the beleaguered Secretary of DHS, has been steering a department increasingly embroiled in controversy, especially concerning his management of the southern border crisis.
While the border situation has continued to deteriorate under his watch, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) — a subdivision of DHS — has also been struggling, not unlike a teenager trying to decode Y2K memes.
CISA, led by Jen Easterly, has been responsible for rolling out the Biden administration’s Align Operational Cybersecurity Priorities for Federal Agencies plan.
While it may look good on paper, the reality is far from reassuring.
Critics argue the plan creates as many vulnerabilities, as it seeks to resolve them, potentially leaving more windows open for cybercriminals to slip through unnoticed.
The current administration’s solution to the cybersecurity workforce shortage is to bring in 500,000 new cyber professionals, with an emphasis on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).
While inclusivity is important, some experts question whether this is the right time to prioritize diversity over technical prowess.
With nation-state actors like Russia and North Korea gearing up with state-backed hacking teams, the emphasis should be on hiring cybersecurity experts who can deliver, not just check a DEI box.
Should Donald Trump win the 2024 election, we could see a major overhaul of leadership at DHS and CISA.
Both Mayorkas and Easterly are likely to be replaced, and names like Joshua Steinman and Matthew Pottinger — cybersecurity hawks from Trump’s former team — are being floated as potential successors.
Their approach would likely be less focused on diversity quotas and more centered around practical solutions, such as actually knowing how to secure systems with two-factor authentication — imagine that.
Trump’s administration would likely take a much more hardline approach, particularly when it comes to addressing threats from China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea.
These aren’t just your run-of-the-mill hackers.
These are Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) groups backed by some of the world’s most dangerous regimes, operating with near-unlimited resources to breach U.S. networks.
In a bid to curb foreign exploitation of U.S. data, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has rolled out new regulations limiting access to sensitive information for countries like China, Russia, and Iran.
These rules are designed to clamp down on bulk data exploitation for espionage, cyberattacks, and blackmail.
While this is a step in the right direction, we’re still dealing with state-sponsored APT groups in Moscow orchestrating ransomware attacks from their comfortable government-approved headquarters.
The government isn’t the only target in this ongoing cyberwar.
Cybercriminals have also set their sights on private individuals and businesses. LockBit ransomware, in particular, has been causing widespread chaos, hitting everything from hospitals to local governments.
The resultant damages are enormous, with millions being extorted from victims globally.
Additionally, we’re seeing the rise of threats like POWER Rat malware, a sneaky Trojan horse that lurks in systems, waiting for the perfect moment to cause havoc.
And then there’s CVE-2024-43573, a newly discovered vulnerability that could be catastrophic if not patched in time.
These threats may not make the headlines every day, but their effects are widespread and serve as a constant reminder of the work left to be done.
As we approach November 2024, it’s clear that the future of American cybersecurity hinges on the election outcome.
Will we continue down the path of DEI-driven hiring, hoping that a diverse but potentially less-experienced workforce can hold the line against state-sponsored cyber threats?
Or will a Trump administration pivot toward a more skills-based approach, focusing on hard-hitting cybersecurity strategies designed to combat the growing sophistication of our adversaries?
What’s certain is this: if we don’t get serious about our cybersecurity strategy soon, we won’t be leading the world in this critical arena.
Instead, we’ll be ceding control of the digital battlefield to our adversaries, allowing them to strike one ransomware attack at a time.
As we conclude another Cybersecurity Awareness Month, it’s time to take stock of our vulnerabilities and start thinking seriously about the future of our digital defenses.
Hackers are always a few steps ahead, and it’s up to us to close that gap.
Hopefully, by this time next year, we’ll be in a much stronger, more secure place — both in terms of our cybersecurity defenses and the policies designed to protect them.
Julio Rivera is a business and political strategist, cybersecurity researcher, and a political commentator and columnist. His writing, which is focused on cybersecurity and politics, is regularly published by many of the most respected news organizations in the world. Read Julio Rivera's Reports — More Here.
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