Plenary Session 11: Addressing the Push Factors of Migration

Cyberspace has gone from buzzword to full operational domain since the founding of DHS. CISA embodies the purest nature of homeland security – partnership across multiple sectors and echelons. As threats in cyberspace increase in prominence and sophistication, is the current partnership arrangement correct? Does the federal government need to assert more regulatory authority? Or should we take a more laissez-faire approach? How can we forecast the next threat and mitigate risks now?

In 2021, authorities, industry, and the public saw a dramatic increase in publicly acknowledged ransomware attacks. From critical infrastructure to healthcare systems to local governments, the attacks are growing more severe and frequent and no sector or industry seems invulnerable to these attacks. Cryptocurrency has been the payment means of choice by many of the attackers, raising questions as to whether cryptocurrency is an enabler of such attacks and what can be done in response. In the case of Colonial Pipeline, the US Government was able to trace and recoup much of the payment. With the rise in ransomware and the adoption of cryptocurrency in the legitimate economy, how should regulators, financial institutions, law enforcement, and the virtual asset community respond? Are there avenues of creative partnership to address these risks, and what can be done to ensure hackers find it more difficult to profit from ransomware?

The Homeland Security Enterprise was built with an initial focus on external threats and natural disasters. In the past 20 years, most attacks in the US have come from domestically radicalized individuals and we are seeing an increase in hate groups motivated toward violence. How are we working to address radicalization of all stripes? Can the federal counterterrorism enterprise support domestic operations while keeping with our national core values?