Building a Defensible Cyberspace

Nov 08

It is commonly understood that cyberspace favors attackers over the defenders. A new report argues that flipping the offense-defence balance is possible.

Merit Janow is dean and professor of practice at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA). Greg Rattray is director of global cyber partnerships and government strategy for JPMorgan Chase. Phil Venables is chief operational risk officer at Goldman Sachs.

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It sounds obvious, doesn’t it? Of course, defenders should do those things that give the most benefit. But it is shocking how often this is ignored. “Check-the-box” compliance imposes high costs on defenders yet places only minor obstacles in the way of attackers. It is the opposite of leverage, or rather it is leveraged but just to the advantage of the attackers.

A defensible cyberspace through leverage is the subject of a new report from a New York Cyber Task Force we co-chaired, comprised of roughly thirty cybersecurity experts, including senior executives in finance, telecommunications, cybersecurity and other companies, along with senior researchers and academics.

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