On May 12, a global ransomware known as “WannaCry” crippled more than 200,000 computers in at least 150 countries across the world. Although the malware attack—reportedly the largest attack in Internet history—has been stopped, it raised critical questions about how governments and organizations will stay ahead of today’s sophisticated hackers.
On June 1, the Fordham Center for Cybersecurity and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) will welcome some of today’s leading cybersecurity executives at the Lincoln Center campus to share real-world examples of cyberattacks, examine pressing cybersecurity challenges, and assess developments in the field.
The panel discussion, “The Future of Cybersecurity,” is being hosted by Eva Badowska, Ph.D., dean of GSAS, and Thaier Hayajneh, Ph.D., director of Fordham’s Center for Cybersecurity and MS Programs in Cybersecurity and Data Analytics. Anthony Candeias, information security manager at the Ford Foundation, will moderate a panel that includes:
- Lance James, chief scientist of Flashpoint, a global Business Risk Intelligence (BRI) company;
- Nick Levay, chief information security officer of the Council on Foreign Relations, a nonprofit think tank focused on foreign policy;
- Joel Rosenblatt, director of computer and network security of Columbia University;
- and Thomas Ryan, software security solutions architect of Hewlett Packard Enterprise
Hayajneh, who specializes in cybersecurity and data networks, said the panelists will provide perspectives on growing cybersecurity concerns, and may also present critical recommendations for industries and academia. The discussion may help other practitioners and aspiring cybersecurity specialists, he said.
“The future of cybersecurity will heavily rely on generating more hardworking, well-educated cybersecurity analysts,” said Hayajneh.
According to Hayajneh, the extensive use of mobile devices and the spikes in accessing important information over public networks through emails and social network accounts have made it easier for hackers to access private information.
“Cybersecurity has always been an important issue,” he said. “However, in 2017 it has garnered more attention as nations realize the potential impact [cybercrime]may have on people’s lives and the countries’ future elections and leadership.”
Fordham was recently designated a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education (CAE-CDE) by the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security. The Fordham Center for Cybersecurity is hoping to create critical dialogue among information security experts about how to improve cybersecurity in a digitally complex world.
“As a group of prominent industry professionals and scientists in the area of information security and cyber threat, the panelists deliver on our center’s vision,” said Badowska. “A proactive response to cyber threats requires a truly collaborative, interdisciplinary response by experts in many different areas.”
