CyberWarfare – Defending the Electronic Frontier in the 21st Century and Beyond

During the reign of the Roman Empire, it was said that all roads led to Rome.  While these roads facilitated free-trade and were essential to the expansive growth of the Roman Empire, they also introduced a double-edged sword by creating convenient new avenues that could easily be maneuvered by the Empire’s enemies against its best interests.

It could be said that similar corollaries and conclusions could be drawn to that of the Internet, a project initially developed by the United States through the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA or DARPA) in the late 20^th century.  As we continue to move into the 21^st century, the Internet is emerging as the new battlefield on the International stage.  As Internet connectivity becomes commoditized and the barrier to entry is further reduced, it becomes easier for potential adversaries of the United States to wield the power of the Internet to launch attacks against the US infrastructure and its National interests, disrupting the flow of information and leaving destruction in its wake.  It is becoming increasingly possible for our adversaries to not only cause extraordinary economic havoc, but also loss of life as critical services such as E911 and other emergency services become more dependent upon the Internet.  At the same time a perfect storm is brewing because the resources currently allocated to preparing ourselves for this advancing threat are stretched to the limit and largely focused on obsolete technologies that are considerably out of date.

On August 10^th, 2010, in McLean, VA, a series of panelists will discuss this ever-increasing reality and the potential that wars in the future won’t be fought so much on the traditional battlefield but rather electronically targeting critical components of a national infrastructure.  The panelists will discuss what has been done by the US Government to secure certain core components of our national infrastructure, what remains to be done, and will also serve as a “call to arms” to better secure our national cyber landscape.  The members of this panel have all been intimately involved within the Networking Security industry for many years and are engaged in the implementation of their solutions at the ground level.  Their insights will provide invaluable viewpoints regarding this very real and emerging threat and will provide invaluable experience to the attendees of the presentation.

For more information, please take a look at the Event details at http://cyberwarfare.eventbrite.com/.  This event will be hosted by the Capital Technology Management Hub and will be moderated by Stefan Fouant.