Lohrmann on Cybersecurity

The 11th annual National Cyber Security Awareness Month kicked off on Oct. 1, with perhaps the biggest set of activities ever planned. But on day two of the festivities, a huge JPMorgan Chase security breach stole the headlines.

The speaker was Facebook VP Vaughan Smith. "We all know that innovation is key to success, but how do we innovate at Facebook? The first key to innovation is moving fast, very fast," he said.

As cyber leaders from across federal, state, local and tribal governments prepare to gather for another annual meeting, the future of government cybersecurity in our local communities now hangs in the balance.

There were two very different events this past week in Michigan, but both offered similar messages. The Intelligent Transport System (ITS) World Congress and the Michigan Digital Summit pointed to the radical transformation occurring right now in transportation. There is a paradigm shift occurring using smart transportation systems and mobile technology that enables 'realistic solutions to our global mobility, safety, and environmental challenges.'

Whether the topic is modernizing health care, attracting retaining the right talent, the role(s) of the Chief Data Officer (or the new Chief Digital Officer), the value of big data or even securing enterprises from insider threats, the answer entails culture change. So how do we begin?

Just as mobile technology and cloud computing became a normal part of our lives, along comes the next set of disruptive innovations that will radically change the way we work and play. Get ready for robots to appear in virtually every area of life. But just as with the Internet, there will also be a dark side.

It's time to get in the game. Just as in the 1984 movie 'The Last Starfighter,' being the best at a game could lead to a future that exceeds your wildest imagination. The British Intelligence equivalent to NSA is offering a challenge to play a game, with a great cyber job as the prize for winners.

The National Cyber Security Alliance is taking the online safety message to a city near you. A national campaign is spreading the word that multifactor authentication is easy to use and available now — often for free.

More cyberdefense action is needed, but many people seem content to hit the snooze button for now. Meanwhile, Black Hat speakers offer some policy advice to help, while smart Americans change passwords - again.

August 1, 2014, was my last full day as Michigan Government's Chief Security Officer (CSO). As I look back at seventeen years of action-packed public service, I will remember the wonderful people who made it all possible and who served (and continue to serve) our citizens so well.

The Michigan Cyber Civilian Corps, state and local government cyber analysts and the West Michigan Cyber Security Consortium participated in an attack-defend-respond tabletop exercise in a virtual city called Alphaville, which exists within the Michigan Cyber Range. Here's why it matters to a town near you.

As we head into the mid-term elections, what cyber policy action is likely in 2014?