At a time of growing concern about the vulnerability of the nation鈥檚 information systems, Boston College has teamed with the Federal Bureau of Investigation to hold the first Boston Conference on Cyber Security (BCCS 2017), which aims to tackle the knowledge gap between what computer hackers know and what experts can do to stop them.
Scheduled for this coming March, the conference 鈥� which organizers say will be a yearly event 鈥� is a partnership between the FBI and the at the University鈥檚 Woods College of Advancing Studies.
A who鈥檚-who of cybersecurity specialists will appear at the BCCS 2017, including experts from Boston College鈥檚 Information Technology Services, the National Security Agency, the US departments of Homeland Security and Defense, State Street Bank, FireEye, Symantec, IBM Security, Mintz Levin, Jones Day, Weil Gotshal, and The MITRE Corp., as well as National Security Council Cybersecurity Director Cheryl Davis, who works at the White House.
鈥淲e鈥檙e excited to be hosting the BCCS 2017 with the FBI on this incredibly important issue,鈥� said Kevin Powers, founding director of the Cybersecurity Policy & Governance program. 鈥淧artnering with the FBI validates our cybersecurity program鈥檚 focus, which is to develop cybersecurity leaders to address the varying threats faced by private industry and governments.鈥�
鈥淐ombating cyber-crime is one of the FBI鈥檚 top priorities because of the direct threat it poses to our national security and economy,鈥� said FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Joseph Bonavolonta, who oversees the cyber/counterintelligence program for the FBI鈥檚 Boston Division. 鈥淭he work we do wouldn鈥檛 be possible without close collaborative partnerships with the private sector. 听We hope the Boston Conference on Cyber Security next spring will help everyone get on the same page so we鈥檙e better positioned to identify threats, share information and ultimately defeat cyber criminals.鈥�
Powers said the Cybersecurity Policy & Governance program and FBI have been working on the BCCS 2017 itinerary for several months, with an eye to making the conference as informative and meaningful as possible. 听
鈥淲ith cyber-attacks in the news every day, there鈥檚 a fear out there, but it鈥檚 causing a 鈥榮ecurity fatigue鈥� to it all, because business, government, and consumer users are overwhelmed and sick of being on constant alert,鈥� explained Powers, a former analyst and attorney for the U.S. Justice and Defense departments and U.S. Navy. 鈥淥ur goal in partnering with the FBI is to highlight why it鈥檚 not only in users鈥� best interests to continue to focus on cybersecurity, but also for the greater good. 听There needs to be an all-hands-on-deck approach, as the cyber-threats we face today are not going away anytime soon.鈥澨�
Bonavolonta echoed Powers鈥� remarks. 鈥淢ost of America鈥檚 cutting-edge technology and equipment is found in the private sector: manufacturers, contractors and academia. Cyber-criminals continue to exploit these networks to steal information. The FBI is committed to finding the criminals behind these attacks, but we can鈥檛 do it alone. Conferences like this will help everyone gain a better understanding of the emerging threats as well as our individual roles and responsibilities in defeating them.鈥�
The Cybersecurity Policy & Governance program鈥檚 partnership with the FBI is one of more than three dozen governmental and business ties it has formed during its first full year of existence. Others include the Massachusetts State Police, Lockheed Martin, PwC, SkyBox Security, Comtrade, GuidePoint Security, Bank of America, Raytheon, Gartner Consulting, Locke Lord, LLP, and the US departments of Defense, Energy, Homeland Security, Justice, and Treasury.
鈥淥ur partners collaborate with us by providing guest lecturers, hosting joint panel discussions and networking events, and providing internships and applied research projects to our students,鈥� said Powers. 鈥淚t is a true collaborative effort by government, industry and academia 鈥� with BC taking the lead 鈥� to address and mitigate these cyber-threats.听
鈥淲hen we meet here in March at BCCS 2017, we鈥檒l be discussing emerging technologies, best practices, operations and enforcement, and real-life cyber and national security experiences to help our students and private industry and government leaders address today鈥檚 cyber-threats.鈥�
-Sean Hennessey | University Communications