Rapid7: Access to Free Open Source Cybersecurity Tools
Rapid7 maintains and supports numerous open-source and community-sourced cybersecurity projects to help bring powerful security to all. These free tools give people access to the capabilities and information they need to defend themselves, regardless of their location or background. Rapid7 believes that it is only through wide access to tools and data that we can move the security industry forward.
“I think the number one key to our success is the diversity of our contributors. We have contributors from all over the world, from lots of different backgrounds, many of whom are not professional software engineers. They’re hackers. They’re hobbyists. They’re tinkerers. They’re QA people. They’re IT people. They’re doc writers. And so that just in and of itself has been really, really, really helpful for us.”
Motorola Solutions is creating the future of security
Motorola Solutions is not a new name in the security industry. They are best known for their two-way radios that help security professionals keep in touch while they work, but radios aren’t the only thing coming out of Motorola’s labs. Motorola has designed a security ecosystem, combining the power of radio, video security and analytics, and evidence management software – powered by AI and Cloud technologies – to improve public safety and business security.
Motorola has designed this technology to be a powerful aid to the expertise of safety officials, in order to help them work more efficiently and effectively, while also innovating their base AI to be held to the highest ethical standards.
Google works with the Biden Administration to make open source software more secure
On January 13, 2022, Google joined with other technology industry leaders at the White House Open Source Software Security Summit to help inform the Biden Administration on ways to strengthen cybersecurity. Open source software code is available to the public, and free for anyone to use, modify, or inspect. Because it is freely available, open source software is used for everything from corporate innovation to national security systems and international projects. However, despite its importance, the security of these systems is only maintained on an ad-hoc volunteer basis.
Google utilized this meeting with the Biden Administration to advocate for the creation of an organization to act as a marketplace for open source maintenance; matching volunteers from companies with the critical projects that need the most support.
You can read more about Google’s open source work here.
Tech is a crucial ingredient to shared prosperity and a more equitable, secure society that enjoys better health outcomes and superior educational opportunities for all. Good policy can make our lives better, ensure our economy is strong and support good jobs and opportunities in which innovation can flourish.
The State of the Union comes this week as the list of pressing issues to address seemingly grows longer by the day. It is important to ensure that industry and government are working together to deliver a future that Americans deserve.
Tech and sound policy can both help address today’s most daunting challenges while laying the foundation for a future in which all communities can thrive.
ITI understands that the tech industry must serve as an important partner in helping drive critical policy initiatives to promote U.S. competitiveness and lift up the U.S. economy. The Bridge for Innovation campaign underscores this spirit of innovation, partnership, and the importance of smart and purposeful policy.
ITI has put forward several policy priorities where the United States can make significant progress in 2022 for the benefit of businesses, workers, and consumers across virtually every sector of the economy. The below priorities included in ITI’s suggestions mirror the policy focus of the Bridge for Innovation campaign.
Viability
Support Technology Research, Development, and Manufacturing
Advance a Tax System that Promotes Growth and is Globally Competitive
Accelerate Broadband Deployment to all U.S. Communities
Security
Pass Federal Privacy Legislation
Ensure A Consistent and Coordinated Approach to Cybersecurity
Bolster Supply Chain Security
Equity and Opportunity
Expand Strong, Inclusive Digital Trade Commitments
Develop the Workforce of the Future
Read ITI’s Action Plan for 2022 to see how the global technology industry is committed to driving America’s economic competitiveness.
Security in the Face of Rapidly Evolving Cyber Threats: A Conversation with U.S. Senator Gary Peters
Cybersecurity is a shared responsibility between individuals, businesses, and governments that requires a commitment to adopting practices and protections that guard networks, systems, data, and devices from foreign and domestic threats.
U.S. Senator Gary Peters (D-MI), Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, joined us for a discussion about the constantly evolving cyber landscape.
The event also included conversations with Ken Xie, Founder, Chairman of the Board, and CEO of Fortinet; Jeanette Manfra, Senior Director of Global Risk and Compliance for Google Cloud; and Darren Shou, Chief Technology Officer for NortonLifeLock. The conversations focused on how the private and public sectors can work together to adapt to rapidly emerging threats.
Thank You to Our Speakers:
U.S. Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) Chairman of the Homeland Security
and Governmental Affairs Committee
Ken Xie Founder, Chairman of the Board
Fortinet
Darren Shou Chief Technology Officer
NortonLifeLock
Jeanette Manfra Senior Director of Risk and Compliance
Google Cloud
Jason Oxman (moderator)
President & CEO
ITI | The Information Technology Industry Council
Fortinet is changing cybersecurity to meet the demands of the modern work environment
When the workforce largely transitioned to the work-from-home model, the number of network access points rose astronomically. Network security was strained in many company networks while they became open to a host of new security challenges due to the access from home offices and public networks. To address these challenges, Fortinet developed a new long-term strategy for the workforce by blending security and connectivity through services and such as software-defined wide-area networking, secure access service edge, zero trust access, and zero trust network to protect networks no matter where employees are accessing them from.
But the biggest change Fortinet has proposed is changing to organizational structure and culture to achieve a convergence of security and infrastructure by removing organizational silos so security can be seamlessly deployed across every network edge.
Forward-thinking business leaders are investing in new converged technologies. Advanced solutions that blend connectivity and security into a single solution—like software-defined wide-area networking (SD-WAN), secure access service edge (SASE), zero trust access (ZTA), and zero trust network access (ZTNA)—protect hybrid networks by extending enterprise-grade network connectivity and security functions to the home office.
This is essential for ensuring a temporary WFH policy becomes a long-term strategy for running a digital business. Making the right investments requires thinking about security and networking as a converged solution, a security-defined network approach, rather than as discrete elements.
Competitors Sharing Information to Protect Networks
Looking for new ways to keep internet users and data safe, leading cybersecurity companies formed the Cyber Threat Alliance to make it easier for otherwise fierce competitors to share threat intelligence information with each other to help keep everyone safer from attacks.
Palo Alto Networks and Fortinet were founding members of CTA in 2014 and those companies were soon joined by other large cyber companies, including Cisco and McAfee. The nonprofit organization has grown to 34 private sector members as well as partnerships with other cyber nonprofits and public sector industry groups seeking to improve the security of networks around the globe.
Member companies share actionable threat intelligence data in a timely manner so other companies can prevent, identify and disrupt attacks. CTA is actively growing around the globe and building diverse partnerships with information sharing and computer emergency responses teams across all sectors.
Organizations like CTA are incredibly important for helping protect US networks and consumers. Timely threat intelligence sharing can help keep the entire online ecosystem safer from ever-changing attacks from nation-states or cybercriminals.
The tech industry supports policies that increase opportunity, protect consumer privacy, makes our networks and devices safer and protects our environment for future generations.
Over the past few years, policymakers and consumers around the world have focused much of their attention on a few large technology companies and how those firms impact our world. But the technology industry is comprised of companies of all sizes creating innovative products and services focused on developing new solutions to old problems and exploring new ways of doing things.
Since 1916, ITI members have been researching, creating and innovating to provide new products and services that help a wide array of industries and consumers.
Innovation thrives when we have an environment for growth and development. Our member companies are producing innovations made possible by previous good policy decisions that have allowed these technologies and services to take root and thrive.
That’s why ITI is launching a new campaign, Bridge for Innovation, to highlight how our members are helping create technologies that help provide solutions for some of society’s most pressing issues, as well as how good policies can help us create a better tomorrow.
In our increasingly interconnected world, our members are immersed in many of today’s most complex policy discussions. ITI serves as an important convenor for policymakers and stakeholders seeking insights into technology and how good policy solutions can help address hurdles to progress.
At a critical moment when some of society’s most challenging issues are intersecting, ITI is in a unique position to provide insights into technology and policy solutions critical in addressing such issues.
Learn More: Information Technology Industry Council (ITI)
The Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) is the premier advocacy and policy organization for the world’s leading innovation companies.
Founded in 1916, ITI is an international trade association with a team of professionals on four continents. We promote public policies and industry standards that advance competition and innovation worldwide.
Our diverse membership and expert staff provide policymakers the broadest perspective and thought leadership from technology, hardware, software, services, and related industries.
For more information about ITI’s advocacy efforts visit our website here.
How the Technology Industry is Driving Sound Policy
Technology is a crucial part of our shared prosperity, connecting us to one another, to education, health care, and economic opportunities.
It helps drive progress and the development of timely solutions to address society’s most pressing issues. Technology depends on good policies that can make our lives better, ensure our economy is strong, and support good jobs and opportunities in which innovation can thrive.
On October 5, ITI members Barbara Humpton, CEO of Siemens Corp., and Amit Yoran, Chairman and CEO of Tenable, joined Jason Oxman, ITI’s President and CEO, for a virtual discussion on how the technology industry is working to create solutions to address pressing issues facing the country today, and policies that could have a positive impact in the future.
Supply chain security is a priority in the fight to improve the overall security of U.S. critical infrastructure and systems.
Clear federal guidelines are needed to improve the security of supply chains for federal agencies and critical infrastructure, as well as oversight by a federal supply chain risk management agency. These policies should prioritize transparency and a risk-based approach so that U.S. national security objectives can be met without putting American competitiveness at risk. Technology companies are working through industry-led groups to develop clear guidelines and best practices in the absence of coordinated federal action. The tech industry is focused on looking broadly at these risks and not focusing solely on the country-of-origin concerns about products made or assembled in China. And they are developing and deploying technologies and best practices that mitigate risk and enhance supply chain security, as well as enabling a global supply chain network that allows for exponential growth and innovation across sectors.
Good policy ensures the development of a coherent supply chain security policy, which is why federal policymakers should designate a lead supply chain security risk management agency and empower the National Cyber Director to coordinate these efforts. It approaches supply chain security using risk-based and evidence-driven analyses, encouraging transparency and predictability for private industry. It leverages the existing public-privateICT Supply Chain Risk Management Task Force for collaboration on supply chain security and works to advance and protect U.S. national security objectives without putting American competitiveness at risk.
Privacy doesn’t stop at state or country borders, which is why a unified set of rules for protecting consumer and data privacy is needed.
The technology industry believes that comprehensive federal privacy rules are needed to protect consumers’ data and protect against the loss of trust and security in our online ecosystem. Encryption plays a vital role in protecting data security and privacy and the industry supports the mission of law enforcement and national security agencies to protect our citizens and country. Technology companies are developing new ways of protecting critical data and consumer privacy through encryption technologies that are more secure against cyberattacks. They are also empowering consumers to increasingly understand their data and feel confident in the protection of their online information, profiles and accounts.
Good policy means supporting comprehensive federal privacy rules and amending the Electronic Communications Privacy Act to require warrants for content regardless of its age or how it is stored. It means securing an agreement with the European Commission on U.S. data transfers and, more broadly, developing enforceable ways to help the cross-border transfer of data to ensure consumers’ privacy. And it means prioritizing international consensus for reconciling law enforcement and national security’s interests with the protection of individuals’ data.
The technology industry believes the online world should be a secure place for everyone.
Strong, responsive online security is critical to ensuring that consumers, industries and governments have trust and confidence in placing information online and conducting business. Technology companies are working cooperatively to ensure threat intelligence is shared promptly within the public and private sectors to minimize disruptions, thwart cyber attackers and protect consumers, businesses and organizations. The industry is innovating and producing new technologies—including machine learning and AI-powered systems—to more quickly identify, stop and defend U.S. networks and infrastructure to minimize the disruption of cyberattacks.
Good policy means expanding federal cybersecurity investments to ensure secure and resilient networks will protect critical national infrastructure such as the electrical grid and water supply, and the government’s own technology infrastructure. It means creating an environment that supports regular threat intelligence and information sharing practices within the private sector and with federal agencies as appropriate as well as encouraging strong federal leadership to oversee streamlined government efforts to improve cybersecurity and supply chain resilience.
