On Oct. 11, Wisconsin cybersecurity professionals will gather to address the industry’s growth and the workforce training needed to keep pace with ever-evolving cybersecurity threats.
Now in its fifth year, the Milwaukee Cybersecurity Summit is hosted by the Milwaukee School of Engineering and Brookfield-based company SysLogic, Inc.
SysLogic’s Paul Doucas told WPR’s “Wisconsin Today” that educating current and future cybersecurity professionals is a top priority for the summit. That’s why students can participate for free, he said, and proceeds will go to a scholarship fund managed by the Midwest Cybersecurity Alliance.
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The summit will feature seminars hosted by corporate leaders from Wisconsin companies such as The Bolt Company, Children’s Wisconsin, and Foley & Lardner. Doukas said seminar participants will share strategies on how to respond to the evolving needs of the cybersecurity environment.
In an interview with Wisconsin Today, Doukas also discussed what support the industry needs to protect itself from domestic and international cyber threats.
The following has been edited for clarity and brevity.
Kate Archer Kent: What is the biggest vulnerability in cybersecurity?
Paul Doucas: One of the biggest types of cyberattacks is called ransomware. In 2021, a business fell victim to ransomware approximately every 11 seconds. This was up from his 14 seconds in 2019. The frequency of ransomware attacks against governments, businesses, consumers, and devices is expected to continue to increase over the next seven years, with one victim every two seconds by 2031.
When you think about this, think about all the different digital technologies that businesses and people use today, from devices like refrigerators and thermostats that communicate over the internet from your home to the businesses and devices that support your business. . They are all exposed to cyber risks.
KAK: In May, Ascension, a healthcare system with hospitals in Wisconsin, was hit by a ransomware attack. The incident resulted in the suspension of electronic medical records at approximately 140 hospitals nationwide. What is effective crisis communication when a cyber attack occurs?
PD: Organizations like Ascension Healthcare and other large companies will have very detailed plans for what will happen in the event of a ransomware attack.
These plans employ strategies such as, “How do we get back to keeping the company running?” Similarly, “How do we address and maintain operations?”
KAK: Should companies negotiate with hackers about data breaches? Is there any precedent for negotiations?
PD: I personally don’t think so. I think there are opportunities to adopt first, such as incident response, how to deal with hackers, and how to recover from attacks. Some of these ransomware attacks demand ransoms in the hundreds of millions of dollars to restore operations, which clearly can be a major financial hurdle for the public and private sectors. .
KAK: According to the 2023 Cybersecurity Jobs Report, there will be 3.5 million unfilled jobs in the cybersecurity industry through next year. How do you scale this workforce?
PD: I think it starts with academic organizations actually investing in cybersecurity programs and degrees. Milwaukee Polytechnic Institute is a leader in this field and that’s one of the reasons they’re our local partner and one of the reasons we’re putting this event together. Closing this employment gap is an important issue.
This cybersecurity summit has focused on education since its inception five years ago, and in fact, its aim is to generate more interest and awareness. Education continues to be a major challenge for the cybersecurity field.
KAK: What should Wisconsin policymakers do to address emerging cybersecurity issues in the state?
PD: I think there is an opportunity to discuss legislation that helps companies protect themselves and act to ensure that when a cyber attack occurs, it does not seriously impact our operations as a nation.
Cyber investments at the federal level are one of the top three spending items in the Department of Defense budget. So what does that opportunity look like? It actually refers to the laws and support that countries can provide to public and private sector entities to improve defense capabilities, increase cooperation, and share best practices.
