This content was created by Robert Siciliano. This content was uploaded by Robert Siciliano. This is a YouTube discussion titled "Cyber war is being lost to criminals @McAfeeConsumer" (posted April 24, 2014). The excerpt is a multi-speaker interview/panel featuring Charles (host), Captain Chuck Nash, an unnamed Speaker C, and McAfee cybersecurity expert Robert Siciliano. They discuss a Verizon cybersecurity report and the growing cyber threats from state-sponsored and criminal actors (Russia, China, North Korea, Eastern European groups), vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure (including the electric grid), frequent large-scale data breaches (credit cards, Social Security numbers), challenges in defending versus attacking, implementation gaps in security products, and questions about who pays for cybersecurity.
Chapters
Well, I got bad news for you. The bad guys, they're winning the cyber war. Verizon's latest cybersecurity report says Russia, China, and North Korea are all on a hack attack, and we're doing nothing, absolutely nothing, to stop them. This is other warnings pretty much saying the electric heartbeat will soon be hit by hackers. Captain Chuck Nash and McAfee cybersecurity expert Robert Siciliano. Sounds like that we actually, guys, that we need some boots on the ground in this cyber war that's already begun and that we're already losing big time. What say you, Captain?
Well, the U.S. government has been working on that for military defense and national security systems for some time. But the fact of the matter is, it's always easier to disrupt than it is to defend because the defender is reacting to the disruptor. So the attack becomes more effective, and then if you have the, the length and strength to go the distance, you can overcome the system. And that's where we're now starting to gear up and get more involved to try to look at and identify who these people are.
But sir, with all due respect, how come we can't— how come these bad guys have so— how come they're always one step ahead? I mean, you know, it seems so reactionary on our part.
It is reactionary. We're getting a little bit better at it. But the fact of the matter is there are tens of thousands of attacks all the time going on. The Pentagon, our defense industries, and it's not just the defense industry. You can get in maybe through one of their suppliers or one of their supplier's suppliers or their lawyer's office or something. Anywhere where you have that network, you're hooked to other people, and these guys are really good at it. It could be some guy sitting in an apartment in Eastern Europe, or it could be a dedicated cell in China working on it. The Chinese have been extremely effective, as have the Eastern Europeans.
Yeah, the Eastern Europeans. I don't know if this group is really out of Syria or not, but they're always in the headlines. You know, Robert, here's the thing. Obviously, from an industry point of view, from McAfee's point of view, this is a huge opportunity to make a lot of money, but why does it always feel like we're just too vulnerable, like we can't catch up?
So the security industry has a pretty good handle on what needs to be done, and they're supplying products and services to make that happen. It is the implementation of all the various technologies by IT professionals in both government and corporations that may be a little slow to the punch. You know, keeping in mind that This is a battle going on 24/7, 365 between good and evil, and it's never going to stop. And with the constant bombardment of attacks, there is going to be leakage. You know, there's going to be flaws. There's going to be vulnerabilities. And while some say we are losing the battle—
So is this how we should live then?
Is this what we're telling the American public?
Hey, we're going to lose a few, period.
It's always been like that. There's no such thing as 100% security. There's always going to be vulnerabilities. But keep in mind, you know, the grid's up, financials are relatively tight. You know, we haven't completely crashed. You know, things are in order. So while we're functional and the lights are on, obviously we're doing something right.
Well, I got to tell you, obviously maybe we're doing something right, but this is one of these things where it feels like every day, or at least once a week, we open the paper and we've lost a big one. Someone just got 3 million credit cards. Someone just It's got 4 million Social Security numbers. We don't feel like we are winning. Now I do want to ask you, Captain Nash, is there a serious issue about who pays for this? You know, McAfee says they'll sell it to anybody, but who pays for it? Because with the Target thing, Target's saying, hey, the credit card companies should pay for it, and the credit card companies are saying the banks should pay for it, and the banks are saying the government should pay for it. I mean, are we so caught up on who pays for this we always stay vulnerable?
Whoever's going to pay for it, it's always going to come down to the consumer. Because those costs are going to be passed through just like the cost for everything else, whether you raise taxes or you increase the price of the commodities that they use to make their product. It's going to be passed down to the consumer. If the consumer is a government agency, then it's going to be the taxpayers, and the taxpayers are also the consumer on the commercial electronics side. So we're going to pay either way.
I just, I just hope, you know, because it seems like we've become sort of sanguine toward this in this country, but it feels like the big one is going to come real soon, the one that hurts us beyond just losing a few Social Security numbers.
And Charles, that's a great point, that's a great point, because the thing is we all love the technology, we love the benefits of it and everything, but we are woefully unaware of the downside of using the technology. We really are.
Yeah, both of you guys are fantastic. I appreciate it. Come back real soon. Hopefully it'll be better news and not on one of these big headlines.
