Over 350 staffers attended and learned from tech industry professionals
WASHINGTON DC – The Democratic Digital Communications Staff Association in partnership with the Congressional Tech Staff Association and Senate Systems Admin Board held the first annual Cyber Day on the Hill at the United States Capitol in Washington, DC. The bipartisan and bicameral event was sponsored by Sen. Warner (D-VA) and Sen. Rounds (R-SD), and Rep. Langevin (D-RI 2nd District), Rep. McCaul (R-TX 10th District), Rep. Kelly (D-IL 2nd District), Rep. Meadows (R-NC 11th District), Rep. Butterfield (D-NC 1st District), and Rep. Hurd (R-TX 23rd District).
“Cybersecurity continues to be one of our most pressing issues. It impacts healthcare, national security, business and finance, and is an essential component of securing our democracy. I am pleased to cosponsor the first Cyber Hill day to bring together experts and policymakers to explore solutions to these problems, and further elevate the Congressional conversation on this important subject.” Senator Mark Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman, Senate Select Committee on Intelligence
“Cybersecurity is one of the most pressing issues of our time, and it’s critical that all of us know how to protect ourselves in cyberspace. I was pleased to join my fellow colleagues in co-sponsoring this event, and I thank the participating information security and technology professionals for sharing their knowledge with hundreds of bipartisan Congressional staff members throughout the day.” Congressman Jim Langevin (D-RI 2nd District), Co-chair and Co-founder of the Congressional Cybersecurity Caucus
“As the former Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, I know full well the evolving threats that face our nation. Congress must play a leadership role and find new and innovative ways to strengthen our nation’s cybersecurity so we can better counter and prepare for future cyber-attacks.” Congressman Michael McCaul (R-TX 10th District), Co-chair and Co-founder of the Congressional Cybersecurity Caucus
The full day event featured “Tech Talks” from the leading minds in information security and technology policy who trained staff on cutting edge tactics to protect their Members, offices, colleagues, and themselves from cyber intrusions, social engineering hacks and common data hygiene mistakes.
The event ended with an Innovation Showcase Reception, featuring former Chairman Mike Rogers (R-MI) of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
“Cybersecurity affects everyone, regardless of party. The Cyber Day on the Hill is a great way for these staff members to be exposed to the challenges of a dangerous cyber environment.” Mike Rogers (R-MI), Former Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
“The recent outbreak of cyber-attacks against local and State governments should mobilize leaders to evaluate and test their incident response and recovery plans. In today’s landscape, training like you fight and fighting like you train is critical in order to truly evaluate your cyber readiness. If you’re not testing and running simulation drills, you won’t see the gaps in your defenses until it’s too late.” Christopher Scott, CTO, Global Remediation Lead, IBM X-Force IRIS
“A primary security challenge of our times is understanding how people interact with critical data, which is not adequately addressed by traditional security solutions. Forcepoint leverages expertise in human behavior to enable risk adaptive security that provides protection for organizations while allowing people to get their jobs done without friction. “Cyber Day on the Hill brought to life the realities of today’s cybersecurity landscape to support the ongoing development of U.S. Government cybersecurity and data protection regulations.” Dr. Margaret Cunningham, Principal Research Scientist, Forcepoint
“The dark ages of cybersecurity are over. There are now standard ways to measuring the effectiveness of cybersecurity initiatives and making sense of what’s working and what is not.” Nick Sanna, CEO, RiskLens and President, FAIR Institute
“Palo Alto Networks applauds Congress for hosting Cyber Day on the Hill and fostering this important dialogue around information security and technology policy. We appreciate the opportunity to highlight innovative approaches for automated threat prevention and response that effectively combat cyber adversaries.” Ryan Gillis, Vice President, Cybersecurity Strategy and Global Policy, Palo Alto Networks
“It was a delight to participate in Cyber Day on the Hill. Congress is central to getting a lot of vitally important cyber policy questions right, and is itself on the front lines of foreign hacking threats. This was a great opportunity to engage.” Dr. Ben Buchanan, Center for Security and Emerging Technology, Georgetown University
“Cybersecurity risks are one of the most pressing issues to our national security at this time, but there is so much that we can do to create resilience in the system, educate Americans and employ technology to make us all safe. We just need to begin acting together as a nation to do so.” Kristina Libby, EVP of Future Science and Research at Hypergiant Industries
“Protecting the public from hacking and disinformation campaigns is a complex challenge that can only be addressed when policymakers, security experts, digital media players, and consumers collaborate. The most important step is for us to know how hacking and disinformation is being propagated through the digital ecosystem, in particular knowing what attack vectors are most commonly exploited so we can close the security gaps. One major gap consists of the largely unknown, too often unmonitored third-party code that sits in social networking platforms, our members’ websites, mobile apps, you name it. This code can make our online experience rich, or, in the wrong hands, can enable identity theft and fraud and disinformation. If we know and keep track of what code is doing what in the digital ecosystem, we’ll be able to prevent data breaches and fake news.” Chris Olson, CEO of The Media Trust
“MITRE was pleased to play a role in today’s first-ever Cyber Day on the Hill. It is critical that Congress understand and position itself for success as it navigates the complex world of cybersecurity.” Dr. Vipin Swarup, Director, Cyber-Resilient Programs at The MITRE Corporation
Cyber Day on the Hill Agenda:
10:00 am | Cybercrime and Nation State Level Attacks
We now live in a world where sophisticated cyberattacks are a part of our everyday life. This new reality can be intimidating, but there are simple steps we can take to protect our Members, offices and each other. This Tech Talk hour breaks down lessons learned from large scale nation state attacks, what we can do to stop federal agency data breaches and how regional law enforcement agencies are combating cybercrime.
Cybercrime and Nation State Level Attacks Presenters:
- Ginny Badanes, Director of Strategic Projects, Microsoft’s Defending Democracy Program
- Sarah C. Moffat, Senior Advisor, Cyber Workforce Management, Veterans Affairs
- Christopher Scott, CTO, Global Remediation Lead, IBM X-Force IRIS
- Dr. Ashley Podhradsky, Associate Dean of the Beacom College of Computer and Cyber Sciences, Associate Professor of Digital Forensics
- Trevor Jones, Director of Digital Forensics, Beacom College
11:00 am | The Anatomy of a Data Breach
Many people believe that cyberattacks happen within seconds, however hostile actors spend months in a system before they are finally detected. This Tech Talk hour breaks down the anatomy of how a cyberattack happens, and simple steps you can take today to protect your office.
The Anatomy of a Data Breach Presenters:
- Mark Turnage, CEO Dark Owl
- Evan Wolff, Partner and Co-Chair, Privacy and Cybersecurity Group, Crowell & Moring, LLP and Global Fellow Woodrow Wilson Center
- Dr. Margaret Cunningham, Principal Research Scientist, Forcepoint
- Nick Sanna, CEO, RiskLens and President, FAIR Institute
12:00 pm | Protecting Yourself 101
Completely new to information security? Don’t know where to start? This Tech Talk hour breaks down platform manipulation, two-factor authentication, password creation quick-tips, phishing, SMS phishing, spear phishing, social engineering and ways tech is increasing transparency.
Protecting Yourself 101 Presenters:
- Carrie Adams, Politics & Government Outreach; Matt Schumacher, Politics & Government Outreach, Facebook
- Randy Vickers, Chief Information Security Officer, U.S. House of Representatives
- Kevin Kane, Public Policy Manager, Twitter
- David Lieber, Senior Privacy Policy Counsel, Google
1:00 pm | Advances in Information Security
While devastating cyberattacks are increasingly becoming part of our everyday lives, there are new advances and technologies that are set to change modern hacking. This Tech Talk hour discusses new advances in the most cutting-edge technologies on the market.
Advances in Information Security Presenters:
- Ryan Gillis, Vice President, Cybersecurity Strategy and Global Policy, Palo Alto Networks
- Dr. Ben Buchanan, Center for Security and Emerging Technology, Georgetown University
- Rob Sheldon, Head of Technology Strategy, Public Sector, CrowdStrike
- Kristina Libby, EVP of Future Science and Research at Hypergiant Industries
- Chris Olson, CEO of The Media Trust
- Dr. Vipin Swarup, Director, Cyber-Resilient Programs at The MITRE Corporation
