• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock

2

‘I want to die broke’: Billionaire philanthropist Denny Sanford dies after giving away $4 billion

3

'Dr. Doom' Nouriel Roubini says we're headed for universal basic income or 'some form of socialism' as AI revolutionizes work—He calls that optimistic

1

Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock

2

‘I want to die broke’: Billionaire philanthropist Denny Sanford dies after giving away $4 billion

3

'Dr. Doom' Nouriel Roubini says we're headed for universal basic income or 'some form of socialism' as AI revolutionizes work—He calls that optimistic
TechBrainstorm Tech

Why the U.S. plans to lean on the hacker community to bolster ‘cyber hygiene’

By
Dan Catchpole
Dan Catchpole
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Dan Catchpole
Dan Catchpole
Down Arrow Button Icon
December 1, 2021, 5:00 PM ET
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

One of the top U.S. cybersecurity officials wants to “ignite the hacker community” in the country’s fight against cyberthreats from abroad and within. Defending the country against attacks is a national effort that involves government security experts, white-hat hackers, C-suite executives—and you, said U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Director Jen Easterly.

“At the end of the day, cyber threats—and in particular ransomware—is now a kitchen table issue,” Easterly said at Fortune’s Brainstorm Tech summit in Half Moon Bay, Calif., on Wednesday. “And my goal as the head of the nation’s cyber defense agency is to make cybersecurity and cyber hygiene, in particular, a kitchen table issue as well, and to really regain the initiative on the defense.” 

For years, the country has focused primarily on cyber offense, and as the second director of the youngest federal agency, Easterly is focused on regaining the initiative on cyber defense.

The agency’s Cybersecurity Advisory Committee is helping reshape the nation’s cyber ecosystem to favor defense. On Tuesday, CISA announced the group’s 23 members, who will advise Easterly on policies, programs, planning, and training. 

Last year’s cyberattack against IT firm SolarWinds exposed America’s vulnerability. Hackers used a back door in SolarWinds software to access major companies, high levels of the federal government, and other entities.

Cyber hygiene is “the key thing we need to do as a nation, because cybersecurity is not about technology, in my view. It’s about human behavior,” she said. 

Something as simple as enabling multifactor authentication can protect a person against the vast majority of hacking attempts, she noted. “It’s about human behavior, [multifactor authentication], updating your software, thinking before you click, and really understanding there are just some basic things that you need to do to make us safer.”

The Cybersecurity Advisory Committee was set up to help tackle issues like cyber hygiene and election misinformation. It has a diverse lineup that includes Austin Mayor Steve Adler, cybersecurity journalist Nicole Perlroth, Mastercard chief security officer Ronald Green, Krebs Stamos Group partner Alex Stamos, and University of Washington associate professor Kate Starbird, a leading researcher in how people share and interact with information (and misinformation) in digital environments, such as social media.

In October, CISA hired Washington State’s former secretary of state, Kim Wyman, to help address election security. As secretary of state, she oversaw Washington’s elections. Following the 2020 election, Wyman was one of a handful of elected Republican officials to challenge former President Donald Trump’s unfounded claims of election fraud. 

Following last year’s election, CISA’s first director, Chris Krebs, dismissed Republicans’ fraud allegations and said the election was secure. Shortly thereafter, Trump fired Krebs in a tweet.

Easterly called Krebs’ stand as a “moral courage moment” and said she wants to keep CISA apolitical. However, as Krebs’ dismissal showed, being nonpolitical doesn’t inoculate an agency from being pulled into the political maelstrom. 

Next week, Easterly said, she is meeting with “senior leaders” from internet service providers, cybersecurity vendors, and other key technology actors at a gathering in California hosted by Dave DeWalt of NightDragon and Ted Schlein at Kleiner Perkins. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and National Cyber Director Chris Inglis are coming out for the meeting, as well. 

“This is really about us meeting people where they are, not dragging them to Washington,” she said. “We’re going to move fast and build things—build trust, build partnership, build security.”

“It’s very important for CEOs to understand that cybersecurity is not just the IT guys or security guys,” she said. “It’s an existential business risk and, quite frankly, a risk to national security given the connectivity.”

Subscribe to Fortune Daily to get essential business stories straight to your inbox each morning.

About the Author
By Dan Catchpole
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • TikTok icon
  • YouTube icon

Latest in Tech

kalshi
CryptoKalshi
Kalshi’s ‘chronically online’ war room figured out World Cup virality — and realized AI might be bringing back the monoculture
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 21, 2026
1 hour ago
fl
North AmericaElections
Trump-backed hopeful to succeed DeSantis unveils plan to protect local water, electricity from data centers
By Matt Brown and The Associated PressJuly 21, 2026
2 hours ago
Bolt CEO Ryan Breslow
CommentaryHuman resources
The CEO who fired HR was right. About the wrong thing.
By KeyAnna SchmiedlJuly 21, 2026
2 hours ago
‘We all failed’: Former Disney CEO Michael Eisner on Hollywood, video games and the big question of IP
Arts & EntertainmentDisney
‘We all failed’: Former Disney CEO Michael Eisner on Hollywood, video games and the big question of IP
By Joshua HongJuly 21, 2026
2 hours ago
Jersey Mike's Subs restaurant.
C-SuiteCFO Daily
Jersey Mike’s tests how far investors will stretch on restaurant IPO valuations
By Sheryl EstradaJuly 21, 2026
2 hours ago
all five founders of SkyPilot pose for a photo
Startups & VentureTerm Sheet
SkyPilot, from Databricks’ cofounder, raises $20M to be the Switzerland of AI compute
By Lily Mae LazarusJuly 21, 2026
3 hours ago

Most Popular

Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock
Success
Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock
By Sasha RogelbergJuly 20, 2026
20 hours ago
‘I want to die broke’: Billionaire philanthropist Denny Sanford dies after giving away $4 billion
Success
‘I want to die broke’: Billionaire philanthropist Denny Sanford dies after giving away $4 billion
By Sydney LakeJuly 20, 2026
1 day ago
'Dr. Doom' Nouriel Roubini says we're headed for universal basic income or 'some form of socialism' as AI revolutionizes work—He calls that optimistic
AI
'Dr. Doom' Nouriel Roubini says we're headed for universal basic income or 'some form of socialism' as AI revolutionizes work—He calls that optimistic
By Jason MaJuly 18, 2026
3 days ago
Current price of silver as of Monday, July 20, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of silver as of Monday, July 20, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 20, 2026
1 day ago
Warren Buffett says his $147 billion investing career was an accident: ‘I may be one of the 10 luckiest in the world’
Future of Work
Warren Buffett says his $147 billion investing career was an accident: ‘I may be one of the 10 luckiest in the world’
By Sarah GlodekJuly 20, 2026
1 day ago
It’s not just Taco Bell lettuce and possible glass in Pillsbury rolls: Food and drink recall events reached a 6-year year-over-year high
Retail
It’s not just Taco Bell lettuce and possible glass in Pillsbury rolls: Food and drink recall events reached a 6-year year-over-year high
By Sasha RogelbergJuly 20, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.