Joe Slowik
Joe Slowik has over 15 years of experience across multiple domains in information security. Starting with the US Navy where he performed multiple offensive and defensive roles, Joe has continued his threat-informed and threat-centric career in cyber across multiple public and private organizations. Joe currently conducts in-depth research into critical infrastructure cyber threats and their potential impacts while engaging in extensive teaching through his company Paralus LLC.
Session
Ransomware is one of the more prevalent and expensive cyber incidents, and more pervasive and arguably more disruptive than outright disruptive cyber attacks. In this discussion, we will review the impact of ransomware on critical social services and functions, and detail how unchecked such operations may lead to unacceptable disruption in vital services and operations. Based on this understanding, we will then expand the conversation in two directions: how addressing the ransomware issue through defensive countermeasures and preventative investment can also curtail more "advanced" actor operations; and how dealing with pervasive cyber threats may justify enhanced countermeasures to deny, deter, or degrade adversary capabilities. From this discussion, we will arrive at a nuanced, complex view of the ransomware ecosystem and its outsized role in actual, observable critical infrastructure disruption.