Joining us this week is Dr. David Bader, a Distinguished Professor and founder of the Department of Data Science in the Ying Wu College of Computing and Director of the Institute for Data Science at New Jersey Institute of Technology. He deep dives into the opportunity to democratize data science tools and the awesome free tool he and Mike Merrill spent the last several years building that can be found on the Bears-R-Us GitHub page open to the public. We also discuss the vulnerabilities in open-source supply chain, what about AI security teams should be concerned about, data poisoning, AI that is fair and equitable and the discussion on regulation and self-regulation in AI. Key takeaway from the conversation -- data science is indeed growing and it holds an exciting future for those that pursue it! David A. Bader is a Distinguished Professor and founder of the Department of Data Science in the Ying Wu College of Computing and Director of the Institute for Data Science at New Jersey Institute of Technology. Prior to this, he served as founding Professor and Chair of the School of Computational Science and Engineering, College of Computing, at Georgia Institute of Technology. He is a Fellow of the IEEE, ACM, AAAS, and SIAM; a recipient of the IEEE Sidney Fernbach Award; and the 2022 Innovation Hall of Fame inductee of the University of Maryland’s A. James School of Engineering. For links and resources discussed in this episode, please visit our show notes at https://www.forcepoint.com/govpodcast/e251

This week we’re joined by Julia Fallon, Executive Director of the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) and she shines a light on the appeal of school systems to cyber attackers. (HINT: it is access to PII to open credit cards, mortgages and more in the name of children that often is only detected many years later.) We also discuss the connection between schools and insurance companies, trends in how school systems are fortifying their security measures, the evolution of infosec to become a front office issue, and what schools can do to integrate cybersecurity into curriculums to both bolster security and lay a pathway for future cyber professionals.   Julia Fallon is the Executive Director of the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA), where she works with U.S. state and territorial digital learning leaders to empower the education community to leverage technology for learning, teaching, and school operations. Involved with learning technologies since 1989, her professional interest lies in making the case for public school systems wherein educators are able to optimize technology-rich learning environments to equitably engage the learners who fill their classrooms. For links and resources discussed in this episode, please visit our show notes at https://www.forcepoint.com/govpodcast/e250

Bill Evanina, Founder and CEO of the Evanina Group and former Director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center Office of the Director of National Intelligence, joins the podcast this week to take a deep dive view into insider threat as September is Insider Threat Awareness Month. He shares insights from his many years on the counterintelligence and security front lines on what defines insider threat (Note: harm to self or others), the opportunities and challenges in available tools, information sharing and detection across organizations, the importance of leadership training and cross functional partnership to help mitigate insider threats and the criticality of sharing success stories (these really make a difference!). Founder and CEO of the Evanina Group advising CEOs and Board of Directors on strategic corporate risk, strategy, insider threats, cyber security, geopolitical risk, intelligence centers, etc. Instructor, University of Chicago, Graham School. Former Director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center Office of the Director of National Intelligence responsible for leading and supporting the counterintelligence and security activities of the US Intelligence Community, the U.S. Government, and U.S. private sector entities at risk from intelligence collection or attack by foreign adversaries. Served as Chair of the NATO Counterintelligence Panel and the National Counterintelligence Policy Board, and the Allied Security and Counterintelligence Forum comprised of senior counterintelligence and security leaders from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the UK. Previously served as the Chief of the Central Intelligence Agency’s Counterespionage Group, as Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office and spent 24 years as a Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). For links and resources discussed in this episode, please visit our show notes at https://www.forcepoint.com/govpodcast/e249

We pick back up with Joshua Corman, founder of grass roots organization I Am the Cavalry, for part two of our discussion. Josh shares insights from his many years on the healthcare cyber front lines and provides both a captivating and sobering perspective on the state of healthcare security today. And while there have been many strides forward, we still have a long way to go. Audra and I learned so much during our discussion including themes such as cyber asbestos, the emerging care desert, dependency on undependable things, recalibrating the cost of connected medicine, if you can’t protect it/can’t connect it, the Omnibus Appropriations Act, and actionable insights on what we can do right now, as individuals and collectively, to make a difference.   Joshua Corman is the founder of I Am the Cavalry, a grassroots organization focused on the intersection of digital security, public safety, and human life. He was formerly chief strategist of CISA’s COVID Task Force, where he advised on the pandemic response, provided cybersecurity expertise on healthcare infrastructure, and supported control systems and life safety initiatives. Prior to CISA, Josh was SVP and chief security officer at PTC, where he accelerated cyber safety maturity across industries. Previously, he served as director of the Atlantic Council’s Cyber Statecraft Initiative, on the Congressional Task Force for Healthcare Industry Cybersecurity, and in leadership roles at Sonatype, Akamai, IBM, and the 451 Group. For links and resources discussed in this episode, please visit our show notes at https://www.forcepoint.com/govpodcast/e248

We had so much to talk about with this week’s guest that we made it a two-part episode! Joining us this week, and next week, is Joshua Corman, founder of grass roots organization I Am the Cavalry. Josh shares insights from his many years on the healthcare cyber front lines and provides both a captivating and sobering perspective on the state of healthcare security today. And while there have been many strides forward, we still have a long way to go. Audra and I learned so much during our discussion including themes such as cyber asbestos, the emerging care desert, dependency on undependable things, recalibrating the cost of connected medicine, if you can’t protect it/can’t connect it, the Omnibus Appropriations Act, and actionable insights on what we can do right now, as individuals and collectively, to make a difference. Joshua Corman is the founder of I Am the Cavalry, a grassroots organization focused on the intersection of digital security, public safety, and human life. He was formerly chief strategist of CISA’s COVID Task Force, where he advised on the pandemic response, provided cybersecurity expertise on healthcare infrastructure, and supported control systems and life safety initiatives. Prior to CISA, Josh was SVP and chief security officer at PTC, where he accelerated cyber safety maturity across industries. Previously, he served as director of the Atlantic Council’s Cyber Statecraft Initiative, on the Congressional Task Force for Healthcare Industry Cybersecurity, and in leadership roles at Sonatype, Akamai, IBM, and the 451 Group. For links and resources discussed in this episode, please visit our show notes at https://www.forcepoint.com/govpodcast/e247