WASHINGTON, D.C.— The U.S. Chamber of Commerce today hosted its Sixth Annual Cybersecurity Summit, titled “Get Your Hack Together,” as the nation recognizes National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. The summit brought together industry and government experts to discuss how the public and private sectors can work together to enhance cybersecurity for American businesses.
“Cyber threats to the private sector and government are constantly evolving, and protecting our critical cyber infrastructure is a team sport,” said Ann Beauchesne, U.S. Chamber senior vice president of National Security and Emergency Preparedness.“The Chamber is focused on advancing partnerships between the public and private sectors. Industry and government are already working together, but we need to do more to combat a threat that will cost the world hundreds of billions of dollars annually.”
The summit is part of the Chamber’s ongoing advocacy campaign, Improving Today. Protecting Tomorrow, to advance cybersecurity policies and educate small and midsize businesses about the importance of cybersecurity.
Attendees heard from Acting Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Elaine Duke; learned about securing Smart Cities from Trend Micro Chief Cybersecurity Officer Ed Cabrera; heard how U.S. Bancorp protects financial assets; and witnessed a live hack demonstration. Attendees also were briefed on the global security landscape by Cyber Threat Alliance President Michael Daniel and on the Internet of Things and emerging technologies vulnerabilities by Fortalice President and CEO Theresa Payton, among others.
“The cyber threat landscape is so dynamic and rapidly changing, but we’ve seen recent public policy progress, like the passage of the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act,” said Alejandro Mayorkas, chair of the U.S. Chamber’s Cyber Leadership Council. “That legislation, along with other government initiatives, gives industry the tools it needs to share information with the government to deter hackers without adding further mandates or liability risks for companies. Through the Chamber’s leadership council, we will continue pushing for more coordination and liability protection so that companies can truly embrace their partnership with public sector partners.”
So far this year the U.S. Chamber has held events in partnership with state and local chambers of commerce in Salt Lake City, Utah; Columbia, South Carolina; and Nashville, Tennessee as it strives to equip small and midsize businesses with best practices necessary to mitigate cyber risk.
You can learn more about the summit and find a full list of participants here. You can also read more about the Improving Today. Protecting Tomorrow campaign here.
