Strengthening Cyber Defense: Key Insights from the 15th Billington Cybersecurity Summit

Recently, the 15th annual Billington Cybersecurity Summit once again convened senior leaders from across the U.S. and international governments, along with the private sector. Zscaler had the opportunity to participate in several mainstage and technical breakout sessions, including international panels on countering ransomware and defending nations from cyber attacks with cyber officials from Australia, Canada, Estonia, Israel, Poland, Ukraine, the U.K. and U.S.  We also led a fireside chat with the new Assistant Secretary of Defense for Cyber Policy and Principal Cyber Advisor to the Secretary of Defense, Michael Sulmeyer, and we proudly sponsored a VIP reception graciously hosted by the Canadian Embassy featuring the Senior Cyber Official from the Canadian Government, and top leaders from the U.S. National Security Council and Central Intelligence Agency. 

The event is recognized for highlighting cybersecurity matters of the utmost importance to the federal government while providing industry perspectives on the issues. This year the main themes were the implications of artificial intelligence, global competition in cyberspace, cybersecurity risk, zero trust, cloud security, resilience, and threats to critical infrastructure. Zscaler representatives shared insights and recommendations on these and other topics with senior leaders across the U.S. and international governments as well as private sector partners and colleagues. 

Key takeaways

The key takeaways from the event highlighted the importance of Zscaler’s capabilities in dealing with today’s most pressing cybersecurity and national security issues including:

1. Legacy Architectures no longer provide adequate cybersecurity protection and Zero Trust (ZT) strategies are key to mitigating threats. Panelists highlighted recent high-profile ransomware and malicious nation state activity which often included scanning to identify victim organizations, initial access through social engineering or credential theft, lateral movement to identify the “crown jewels”, and theft or encryption of proprietary information and data. This is enabled by public facing infrastructure, to include Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) and firewalls, the inability to constantly validate a user’s identity and limit access to only the necessary applications and resources, the lack of a strong Data Loss Prevention (DLP) and robust disaster recovery (DR) and backup capabilities. 
   
   The Zscaler Platform provides customers the ability to mitigate these threats through cloaking an organization’s publicly facing infrastructure minimizing the attack surface. In addition, Zscaler along with our Identity Provider (IDP) partners continuously validate a user’s identity while policy limits a user from accessing resources they are not authorized to access. Additionally, Zscaler provides robust inline DLP solutions to identify and block sensitive data from leaving the network. Zscaler also provides robust DR capabilities utilizing our resilient Security Service Edge (SSE) network.  
    
2. Artificial Intelligence (AI) combined with access to large sets of telemetry data will greatly enhance cybersecurity in the future. While experts agreed that in the short term AI was moving faster for malicious actors who are not beholden to values and responsible use, in the long-term AI will be key to building effective cyber defenses. 
   
   Zscaler operates the world’s largest cybersecurity cloud, observing over 500 billion transactions and 500 trillion signals each day. This unparalleled insight and visibility combined with AI provides an opportunity to counter threat actors at machine speed, significantly improving our customer’s ability to defend themselves from current and future threats.
    
3. Effective cybersecurity requires increased public/private sector collaboration and partnerships. In today's interconnected digital landscape, no single entity can tackle the multifaceted nature of cyber threats alone. Public and private sectors must work together to share intelligence, develop innovative solutions, and establish comprehensive strategies that protect our digital infrastructure. 
   
   Zscaler has long recognized the value of these collaborations and actively engages with various governmental and industry partners to fortify cybersecurity defenses. For instance, our partnership with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) through initiatives like the Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative (JCDC) and Cloud Log Aggregation Warehouse (CLAW) programs exemplifies our commitment to shared defense. By pushing timely and relevant threat data to the JCDC, Zscaler helps inform the federal government of both known and emerging cyber threats, thereby enhancing the ability to defend against potential attacks on both public and private networks. Additionally, Zscaler built a capability for our federal civilian customers to redirect their Domain Name Server (DNS) data to CISA’s Protective DNS as encrypted traffic. This functionality simplifies compliance with DNS mandates, ensuring that protective measures are easily integrated into existing frameworks.
    
4. There has been a significant shift in the transatlantic partnership, driven by recent political developments on both sides of the Atlantic. It underscores the pivotal role that the private sector is increasingly playing in maintaining and strengthening this crucial alliance. Companies are stepping up not only as first responders to national security issues, from increasing cyber security threats to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. As this trend will continue there is an increasing understanding that the private sector will also as de facto custodians of transatlantic relations. This shift indicates a broader and more integrated approach to security, where private enterprises are actively collaborating with governments to address emerging threats and fortify international partnerships. 
   
   As a leader in cloud security, Zscaler is deeply committed to safeguarding data and ensuring secure, seamless digital transformations for organizations worldwide. By providing cutting-edge security solutions and fostering strong partnerships with both public and private sectors, Zscaler plays a crucial role in enhancing transatlantic cybersecurity resilience. The company's dedication to innovation and collaboration not only helps mitigate immediate threats but also contributes to the long-term stability and strength of transatlantic relations, showcasing Zscaler's commitment to being a constructive and responsible player in this evolving landscape.
    

Closing

The Billington Cybersecurity Summit again provided a critical forum for leaders from both the public and private sectors to address the pressing cybersecurity challenges of our time. These collaborations are crucial because they enable a rapid and coordinated response to cyber threats, leveraging the strengths and resources of both sectors. The collective intelligence and resources harnessed through such partnerships enhance our overall resilience to cyberattacks, making our digital environments safer and more secure. As we move forward, fostering these relationships will continue to be a cornerstone of effective cybersecurity strategy, ensuring that we remain one step ahead of malicious actors who seek to exploit vulnerabilities in our networks.

Zscaler's active participation in mainstage discussions and breakout sessions underscored our commitment to advancing cybersecurity practices globally. The key themes of legacy architecture inadequacies, the transformative potential of AI, and the necessity for public-private partnerships resonated throughout the event. As we continue to navigate the evolving landscape of cyber threats, events like Billington are invaluable in fostering the dialogue and partnerships essential for a secure future.

For more information about Zscaler, please visit our Federal page.