Jane Edwards
Melissa Hathaway, former White House cybersecurity adviser, discussed the cyber threats to critical infrastructure, internet economy and critical services during a conversation at the United Nations University’s headquarters in Japan, the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies reported.
Hathaway, a senior fellow for the Potomac Institute, spoke with Sebastian von Einsiedel, director of the UNU Center for Policy Research, about the WannaCry and NotPetya ransomware that caused disruption to health care facilities and transportation systems worldwide, the Potomac Institute reported.
She cited potential cyber threats to a country’s electric grid, telecommunications and financial services systems.
Hathaway also tackled the 2015 agreement within the UN government group of experts that seeks to advance a set of norms designed to advance responsible behavior in cyber space and the agreement’s role in addressing potential misuse of information and communications technology against critical infrastructure.
She also fielded questions on cyber governance, cyber threats related to internet of things and concerns over efforts to weaken cybersecurity in support of counterterrorism.
Hathaway is president of Hathaway Global Strategies and principal investigator of a methodology – Cyber Readiness Index – that works to measure and evaluate the level of preparedness for cyber risks.
