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Will the US be able to withstand cyber attacks on critical infrastructure?
The global cyber landscape has never seemed so dire. From Russian-backed ransomware attacks against America’s largest oil pipeline to the phone scammer who won’t leave you alone during dinner, we’re living in a brave new world. On GZERO World, Ian Bremmer speaks to Jen Easterly, director of the US cybersecurity agency, tasked with defending the country from all cyber threats — foreign and domestic, who is optimistic about the state of America’s cyber defenses.
Easterly says the US has finally gotten serious on protecting itself from cyberattacks. But the federal government still needs cooperation from the private sector, which operates 80% of the critical infrastructure that serves our daily basic needs. When passed, the Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act will require whoever operates critical infrastructure to report attacks coming from state and non-state actors.
Easterly digs into why Russia is the urgent cyber threat, but China could do more damage in the long term in its efforts to dominate global tech.
And should we worry about non-state actors like ISIS carrying out major cyberattacks. Is there still a threat? "Low probability, but high impact," Easterly tells Bremmer. The bigger problem, she adds, is the dozen or so states that are using cyber to do sort of lawful things like collecting intelligence, but then use it for nefarious purposes.
This interview was featured in a GZERO World episode: Hackers, Russia, China: cyber battles & how we win
Ranking cyber threats: CISA chief Jen Easterly
Just a few years ago, we were worried about non-state actors like ISIS carrying out major cyberattacks. Is there still a threat?
"Low probability, but high impact," US cybersecurity chief Jen Easterly tells Ian Bremmer on GZERO World. Also, attacks by non-state actors are harder to verify.
The bigger problem, she adds, is the dozen or so states that are using cyber to do sort of lawful things like collecting intelligence, but then go about using such tactics for nefarious purposes.
And we don't have many rules in place to deal with that.
Watch the GZERO World episode: Hackers, Russia, China: cyber battles & how we win
China & Russia are "formidable" cyber adversaries: CISA's Jen Easterly
The next 10 years are critical for America to defend itself from China and Russia in cyberspace, says US cybersecurity chief Jen Easterly.
We'll know by then if we've won or lost the battle for tech innovation against Beijing and Moscow when it comes to things like smart cities, she tells Ian Bremmer on GZERO World.
And despite the Russians being a more urgent threat, the long-term race with China to dominate global tech is arguably even more important.
"Russia is the hurricane, but China is climate change."
Easterly also shares her take on why we haven't seen major cyberattacks from the Kremlin after Russia invaded Ukraine.
Watch the GZERO World episode: Hackers, Russia, China: cyber battles & how we win
How private businesses help fight cybercrime
The federal government wants to help US businesses better defend themselves against cyberattacks — but little can be done if corporations don't report them.
That's why the Biden administration is championing a new law that forces them to do so, says Jen Easterly, head of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
The Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act requires whoever operates critical infrastructure to report attacks coming from state and non-state actors.
And that data will "drive down risk in a much more systematic way," Easterly tells Ian Bremmer on GZERO World.
Watch the GZERO World episode: Hackers, Russia, China: cyber battles & how we win
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The next decade will be a turning point in the global cyber arms race. And the stakes are very high.
If measured as a country's GDP, cyber crime would now be the world's third-largest economy after the US and China. And it only takes a single password — as Americans learned after the 2021 Colonial Pipeline attack — for cyber crime to cripple a company or humiliate a nation.
On GZERO World, Ian Bremmer speaks to Jen Easterly, director of the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, tasked with defending the country from all cyber threats — foreign and domestic.
America, she says, has finally gotten serious about protecting itself from cyberattacks. But the federal government still needs cooperation from the private sector, which operates 80% of the critical infrastructure that serves our daily basic needs.
Easterly also digs into how Russia is the urgent cyber threat, though China could do more damage in the long term -- and whether the US is prepared to defend itself from both adversaries.
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While Russia is the more urgent cyber threat, says Easterly, China could do more damage in the long term. As for non-state actors like ISIS carrying out major cyberattacks, there is "low probability, but high impact.” The bigger problem, she adds, may be nations that use cyber to do somewhat lawful things like collecting intelligence, but then use such practices for nefarious purposes. The US government has finally gotten serious about protecting itself from cyberattacks, but still needs cooperation from the private sector to drive down risk to the nation, Easterly explains, noting that the Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act will now require whoever operates critical infrastructure to report attacks coming from state and non-state actors.
Will the US be able to withstand cyber attacks on critical infrastructure?
The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency was set up in 2018 to help protect America's critical infrastructure.
It might sound like a technical term, but CISA chief Jen Easterly explains that critical infrastructure is how we get water, power, gas — even food at the grocery store. And 80% of it is operated by the private sector.
So, how does the agency help businesses defend themselves from hackers?
"In cybersecurity, the federal government is just a partner ... so we all have to work together to drive down risk to the nation," Jen Easterly tells Ian Bremmer on GZERO World.
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