November 15, 2016
National Security Agency Director Michael Rogers told a crowded room full of corporate executives Tuesday that they play a role in strengthening the entire country’s cybersecurity posture.
“I spend a lot of talking with the private sector, as a result of the missions assigned to both U.S. Cyber Command and the NSA, and when I would talk to the C-suite, one of the things I would normally ask is: talk to me about some of the conversations you’re having with your CIO, with your CISO, talk to me about how you as a leader are setting basic expectations,” Rogers told the audience.
In a conference hosted by the Wall Street Journal, the head of America’s most powerful spy agency explained that the Sony data breach incident — widely believed to be orchestrated by hackers affiliated with North Korea — accurately showed how private organizations can work together with the U.S. government to both mitigate damages and recover from a cyberattack.
“From a cyber defensive standpoint, probably 60 to 65 percent of the total activity can be discerned as criminal,” Rogers said, “it is individuals looking to access systems for access to personal identifiable information, which they use to generate revenue, it includes stealing intellectual property.”