Easterly Discusses Ransomware Action and Industry Collaboration with UK Counterpart - Hstoday - HSToday

ajangtayu.blogspot.com

Top cyber security officials from the U.S. and U.K. affirmed their commitment to tackling ransomware in their first official face-to-face engagement on September 9 in London.

Lindy Cameron, CEO of the U.K.’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) – a part of GCHQ – met with Jen Easterly, Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to discuss their organisations’ priorities, including combating ransomware.

During their bi-lateral meeting they reflected on the impact of ransomware attacks this year and the need for industry collaboration to complement government’s operational efforts against ransomware.

NCSC Chief Executive Lindy Cameron said: “It was a pleasure to host Director Easterly for our first in-person bi-lateral meeting to discuss the critical issues in cybersecurity today. Ransomware is a serious and growing security threat that cuts across borders, and it is important for us to maintain a continuing dialogue with our closest ally to tackle it.”

The issue of gender diversity was also on the agenda, with both agreeing that more needed to be done to remove barriers to entry into the profession for women and girls.

They discussed the NCSC’s CyberFirst Girls Competition, which aims to get more girls interested in cyber through fun but challenging team events for teenagers, and CISA’s ongoing commitment to expanding opportunities for young women and girls to pursue careers in cybersecurity and technology and closing the gender gap that exists in these fields.

The two leaders also discussed government collaboration with industry, including the NCSC’s Industry 100 scheme and CISA’s Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative.

The Industry 100 scheme has integrated public and private sector talent in the U.K. to pool their knowledge to tackle key cybersecurity issues. The Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative has similarly brought American public and private sector entities together to unify crisis action planning and defend against threats to U.S. critical infrastructure.

Lindy Cameron will also meet with John Tien, Deputy Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, in London to discuss cyber related issues.