Institute for Security and Technology (IST)

At the end of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, IST is looking ahead. In 2025, IST CEO Philip Reiner is committed to moving more quickly to combat cyber threats, including nation state threats like Volt Typhoon, with IST efforts like the #RansomwareTaskForce and #Undisruptable27. #UnDisruptable27 is a new initiative that seeks to strengthen the safety and security of our lifeline critical infrastructure systems by 2027, led by IST Executive in Residence Joshua Corman. ⚔️ Learn more: https://lnkd.in/giAxz2zK

During the fourth annual International Counter Ransomware Initiative earlier this month, IST and the Center for Cybersecurity Policy and Law hosted the first-ever CRI Industry Partnership Dialogue. The event brought together 28+ CRI governments and industry reps to connect on all things #ransomware. IST Chief Strategy Officer Megan S. had the opportunity to present the Ransomware Task Force’s Blueprint for Ransomware Defense, which offers 40 foundational and actionable safeguards for small- and medium-sized businesses looking to improve their cybersecurity. The event also featured a conversation on the CRI’s private sector engagement, the new Advisory Panel, and industry involvement, featuring stakeholders from Public Safety Canada | Sécurité publique Canada, BlackBerry, Arete, and moderated by IST Senior Director for International Cyber Engagement Elizabeth Posegate Vish. 🛡️ Read the Blueprint for Ransomware Defense: https://lnkd.in/g-HPfXpP 🛡️ Read the Center for Cybersecurity Policy and Law's blog recapping the day:  https://lnkd.in/gnvUPErT

Last week, I attended a workshop on "Expert Exchange on Crisis Communications and Prevention Mechanisms." I would like to extend my gratitude to the organizers at the Stanley Center for Peace and Security and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace for kindly inviting me to share my perspectives on the crucial issues of nuclear crisis communication, crisis prevention, and crisis management mechanisms. First, I want to commend Benjamin Loehrke, Luisa Kenausis, Jamie Kwong & Tong Zhao for assembling a stellar group of experts from the United States and China, facilitating rich discussions that led to valuable ideas and recommendations. I encourage everyone to explore the National Nuclear Risk Reduction Center (NNRRC) and, in particular, the paper titled "Nuclear Risk Reduction Centers: A Stable Channel in Unstable Times" by Rose Gottemoeller and Dan Zhukov. The NNRRC continues to do vital work. As Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright had rightly noted, “The NNRRC has not generated earth-shattering headlines, but it has worked quietly to help us avoid shattering the Earth.” Lastly, I would like to highlight the efforts at the Institute for Security and Technology (IST) and the project that I lead at IST to promote and institutionalize the idea of multilateral crisis communication. It is encouraging to see more NGOs advancing thought leadership in crisis communications. We need a united call for secure, effective, and robust crisis communication mechanisms among nuclear-armed states. The depth of discussions during this workshop underscored the ongoing need for sustained efforts in this area. There is aplenty of good work that needs to be done and we are doing during this Fall and gearing up for in 2025.

What can you do to stay safe online this Cybersecurity Awareness Month? IST Senior Director for International Cyber Engagement Elizabeth Posegate Vish suggests buying and using products that are #SecurebyDesign. In May, IST joined 200+ of our industry peers in signing Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s Secure by Design pledge to produce software with greater security built in from the start. 🔗 Learn more: https://lnkd.in/g2nJW6Zd

In early October, IST’s Generative Identity Initiative team attended the AI and Human Connection Salon co-hosted by Harvard University and Preston-Werner Ventures. Senior VP for Special Projects Eric Davis and Policy Analyst for Technology and Society Gabrielle Tran joined a diverse group of technologists, investors, and researchers in discussions about the transformative potential of AI companions. At the salon, the conversations focused on AI’s effects on our relationships, fostering social cohesion and building trust, and potential interventions. AI offers multitudes of possibilities, but deliberate multi-sector collaboration is essential for its informed development. The team returned with 3 key takeaways: 1️⃣ Human flourishing and “happiness” are not synonymous. The productive friction often required for us to feel agentic, purposeful, and foster empathic curiosity needs to be taken into account when designing these technologies and in how we choose to use them. For example, screens enable friction-free communication; what happens if we become accustomed to this mode? 2️⃣ Practical solutions are needed at the cognitive & corporate levels, from behaviorally-informed proposals (like legislating irregular rewards) to rethinking corporate incentives (like different types of monetization and performance metrics). 3️⃣ ”Technology proposes itself as an architect of our intimacies.” What are we outsourcing when we use AI to facilitate an interaction or mediate an uncertainty? And is that outsourcing in our best interest? Thanks to the group’s organizers, Ron Ivey, Jonathan Teubner, David S. Price, Jennifer Tacheff, Ian Cairns, Tom Preston-Werner, and of course Michelle Barsa at Omidyar Network and Jonathan Gruber at Einhorn Collaborative for sponsoring the event! The GII team will reflect on the salon and their takeaways in the next blog in our GII series. 🧠 Read the first installment, “AI, Therefore I Am: Exploring Cognition in the Age of GenAI:”  https://lnkd.in/guntuGe3 🧠 Learn more about the Generative Identity Initiative: https://lnkd.in/gKM_ZUEb

This Cybersecurity Awareness Month, we’re sharing the IST team’s best #cyber tips, tricks, and takes. In order to engage the public on cyber hygiene, the industry must find the ‘why,’ IST Deputy Director for Digital Security Taylor Grossman said. IST has partnered with #Take9 to help individuals, communities, and our country protect against cyber threats! Take a 9 second pause and think before you click, download, or share. A short pause goes a long way. 🔗 Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gD2YNB-c

Happy National #MakeADifferenceDay! As a non-profit 501(c)(3) think tank, every dollar makes a difference at IST. Today, consider supporting our mission to unite technology and policy leaders to create actionable solutions to emerging security challenges, like #ransomware, #AI, and more. 🛡️ Donate now: https://lnkd.in/g46w4gws

In this month’s edition of The TechnologIST, we sat down with Ransomware Task Force colleagues Chief Strategy Officer and RTF Executive Director Megan S., Senior Director for International Cyber Engagement Elizabeth Posegate Vish, Deputy Director for Digital Security Taylor Grossman, and Future of Digital Security Associate Trevaughn Smith to learn about the Ransomware Task Force's ongoing support for the International Counter Ransomware Initiative. "Since the first CRI we joined in the fall of 2022, we have been adamant that industry is a critical partner to the CRI in achieving its objectives," Megan said. Also in this edition: + Read the latest #NatSpecs blogs + Listen to new Hack the Plan[e]t episodes  + Check out some of the ISTeam's recommended reading from this month

What’s your Cybersecurity Awareness Month #cyber hot take? IST Adjunct Cyber and AI Policy Fellow Tiffany Saade believes it’s crucial to prepare for the potential effects of AI on cybersecurity. Tiffany is the co-author of our latest report exploring the implications of AI in cybersecurity, which puts forward 7 recs on deepfake detection, authentication, software security & more. 🧠 Read “The Implications of Artificial Intelligence in Cybersecurity: Shifting the Offense-Defense Balance:” https://lnkd.in/eRzeBgX4

Have you marked your calendar for February 6, 2025? Don’t forget to save the date for the second annual Cyber Policy Awards, hosted by IST in partnership with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. 🏆 Sign up now to be the first to receive updates, submit your nominations, and register to attend: https://lnkd.in/ePrAPdvA  🏆 Learn more about the Cyber Policy Awards: https://lnkd.in/esNjV65A