Brunswick’s George Little joins cybersecurity experts from Chertoff to discuss the threats that prompted the Biden Administration to issue an executive order Wednesday demanding greater safety and accountability from government suppliers.
President Joseph Biden signed an executive order on Wednesday placing tight new security standards on all software sold to the federal government. The goal is not just to protect government operations but also to spur the implementation of stronger protections throughout the US business community.
The need for greater cyber security is urgent. The pandemic-induced shift toward work from home has opened potential new cracks in cybersecurity. The disruption of supply chains has resulted in dramatic shifts within operations across every sector, and with disruption comes the possibility of new and unforeseen cyber risks.
Then there is SolarWinds. Attributed to Russian-backed groups, this breach went undetected for several months, until last December, penetrating about 200 organizations around the world, including the US departments of Treasury and Commerce. The final impetus was the cyberattack in recent days on Colonial Pipeline, which disrupted the delivery of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel on the East Coast.
To understand this moment and the government’s response we sat down with Brunswick Partner George Little and two principals at The Chertoff Group, one of the world’s leading cybersecurity firms. All three have national security backgrounds. A cybersecurity specialist, Mr. Little is a former Assistant to the US Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, Pentagon Press Secretary and Director of Public Affairs and Chief of Media Relations for the US Central Intelligence Agency.
Chertoff’s Mira Ricardel is a former Deputy National Security Advisor and Under Secretary of Commerce for Export Administration in the Bureau of Industry and Security. She is also a former Vice President of Business Development at Boeing and served as Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Policy. Her colleague, Adam Isles, was formerly at US defense contractor Raytheon where he was the Director of Strategy and Policy Consulting for homeland security. He also previously served as the Deputy Chief of Staff at the US Department of Homeland Security.