Redefining Cybersecurity: Michael Daniel’s Vision for a Safer Digital Future

In this episode of Cyber Focus, host Frank Cilluffo engages in an insightful discussion with Michael Daniel, President of the Cyber Threat Alliance, former Cybersecurity Coordinator for President Obama, and McCrary Institute Senior Fellow. They delve into the intricacies of cybersecurity policy, the evolution of cybercrime as an industry, and the importance of operational collaboration between the public and private sectors. Michael shares his journey into the cybersecurity realm, offers his expert analysis on current strategies, and emphasizes the need for innovative approaches to cybersecurity challenges.

Main Topics Covered

• Michael Daniel's journey and insights into cybersecurity leadership
• Shifting the cybersecurity burden from end-users to larger entities
• The importance of operational collaboration in cybersecurity
• The industrialization of cybercrime and its implications
• Strategies for imposing costs on bad cyber actors
• Funding and resourcing critical Internet functions
• Lessons from the cyber dimensions of the Russia-Ukraine conflict

Quotes

• Michael Daniel: "The bad guys are getting in through a hole that we know about that we have a fix for, but we just haven't done it."
• Frank Cilluffo: "If you can figure out how to marshal and mobilize the economic instruments, we can start moving the ball."
• Michael Daniel: "We need to help shape those incentives so that we get the market forces working for us rather than against us."
• Frank Cilluffo: "We've got to shift the calculus from a government-leads-private-sector-follows mentality."
• Michael Daniel: "In cyberspace, we have an unusual set of capabilities that are resident in the private sector in a way that are not in most other policy areas."

Resources Mentioned

• Cyber Threat Alliance
• National Cyber Strategy
• Center for a New American Security (CNAS)
• Europol
• Cyber Solarium Commission
• Cybercrime Atlas
• National Vulnerability Database (NVD)
• Cyber Peace Institute
• Global Cyber Alliance
• ICANN
• Shadow Server

Guest Bio

Michael Daniel is the President of the Cyber Threat Alliance, an organization that facilitates intelligence sharing and collaboration among cybersecurity companies. He previously served as the Cybersecurity Coordinator and Special Assistant to President Obama, where he was responsible for coordinating the federal government’s cybersecurity policies and activities. Michael also has extensive experience in the Office of Management and Budget, overseeing intelligence programs and budgets. He is widely recognized for his contributions to the field of cybersecurity and his efforts to improve national and global cyberdefense strategies.