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DoDIIS Conference Emphasizes Cybersecurity

International military commanders, intelligence officials and industry executives will discuss threat response.

Members of the Army National Guard, Air National Guard, Army Reserve and civilian agencies prepare to engage in cyber attacks as part of the recent Cyber Shield 17 exercise at Camp Williams, Utah. The cyberthreat’s borderless nature is bringing together experts from several nations at this year's Department of Defense Intelligence Information System (DoDIIS) Worldwide Conference in St. Louis.

The menacing threat of cyberwarfare is pulling together international military leaders in an effort to combat global electronic attacks.

Commanders from key military intelligence posts—including allied commanders from the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom—will tackle the seemingly unconstrained risks from cyber criminals at an upcoming forum hosted by the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). The DIA’s Department of Defense Intelligence Information System (DoDIIS) Worldwide Conference will be held August 14-16 in St. Louis.

The pervasive nature of malicious cyberthreats is confronting officials in the U.S. intelligence community—the FBI, the CIA, the National Security Agency (NSA), the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI)–who also will participate in the event.

The global scope of cybersecurity threats is greater than ever, said Cmdr. William Marks, USN, a DIA spokesman.

“Threats are no longer constrained by international borders, economics or military might; they have no borders, age limits or language barriers, or identity,” he said. “The threat could be a large nation-state or a 12-year-old hacking our network from a small, isolated country.”

Janice Glover-Jones, the DIA’s chief information officer (CIO), stressed the importance of focusing on cybersecurity.

“In the past, we have looked inward, focusing on improving our internal processes, business practices and integration,” Glover-Jones said. “Today we are looking outward, directly at the threat. The adversary is moving at a faster pace than ever before, and we must continue to stay one step ahead.”

Executives from private industry—including DataRobot, FireEye, Microsoft, the NFL and Xerox—also will discuss their corporate experiences with handling cybersecurity issues.

Everyone is a more vulnerable target in today’s digital age, Cmdr. Marks said.

“At any given moment, someone is attempting to hack into your bank account,” he warned. “Someone is trying to hack into your hotel’s registry, the Uber driver’s phone and the Starbucks app that you used to pay for a coffee linked to your credit card. Tomorrow they will be hacking your home speakers, car and refrigerator.”