Cyber as a Facilitating Factor: Key Takeaways from RSA 2017

For many, cybersecurity is a technical problem and therefore requires technical solutions. But for policymakers and the national security community, a key takeaway from this year’s RSA Conference is that cybersecurity is simply a digital extension of many of the threats that have been around for a long time: organized crime engaging in theft and extortion, the old-school tradecraft of espionage, and the subversion operations of nation-states in the internal affairs of competitors on the international stage.

Last week’s annual cyber conference in San Francisco brought together expertise ranging from engineers and business executives to government officials at the top echelons from the National Security Agency (NSA) to the Department of Homeland Security and Justice Department. For the 43,000 attendees, there was a bit of everything for everyone – the newest tech, all the way to the geopolitical impacts of nation-state activity.

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