Here's all that Happened!

Highlights:

2022 Massachusetts Cybersecurity Forum

2022 Massachusetts Municipal Cybersecurity Summit

Cybersecurity Mentorship Program Highlight

.406 Ventures/AGC Partners Event

Verizon DBIR Briefing

Bay Path University Summit

UMass Lowell Summit

The theme of Massachusetts Cybersecurity Month 2022 was "Advance. Include. Secure." This theme encompassed how Massachusetts continues to advance its efforts in creating an inclusive and cyber-secure Commonwealth.

The Month highlighted the array of stakeholders - educational institutions, businesses, R&D centers, policy leaders, investors, and technology groups - that make up the Massachusetts cybersecurity ecosystem.

Thank you for celebrating Cybersecurity Month with the MassCyberCenter!

The 6^th annual Massachusetts Cybersecurity Forum held at Bridgewater State University (BSU) on October 27 featured the announcement of grants to support new initiatives to promote the development of a diverse cybersecurity workforce and improve local cyber resiliency across the Commonwealth, including:

• $2,662,995 to support the establishment of Cyber Ranges and Security Operations Centers (SOCs) at Bridgewater State University ($1,200,000) and Springfield Technical Community College ($1,462,995) for a project housed at Springfield’s Union Station. The SOCs will provide threat monitoring and other cybersecurity services for municipalities and small business/non-profit customers, as well as workforce training opportunities. The Cyber Ranges will mirror real-world IT environments to provide hands-on training opportunities.

• $1,086,476 to support the launch of CyberTrust Massachusetts, a new non-profit that will provide governance to SOCs and Cyber Ranges and promote collaboration between private industry and academic institutions to grow the talent pipeline and increase career pathways for underrepresented groups. 

Keynote speakers included Assistant National Cyber Director Nicholas Leiserson from the White House Office of the National Cyber Director, Secretary Curtis M. Wood from the Executive Office of Technology Services and Security, MassTech Collaborative Executive Director Carolyn Kirk, and President Frederick Clark of Bridgewater State University.  

Two trek sessions focused on CyberTrust Massachusetts, featuring their new CEO Peter Sherlock and officials from BSU and Rapid7, and “Cyber By Design,” which focused the importance of cybersecurity in the manufacturing process and the need for embedding resiliency in future manufacturing. The panel was moderated by MassTech’s Chief Investment Strategist and Program Executive Benjamin Linville-Engler and panelists included representatives from Boston Engineering, MxD, and BG Networks.

The second annual Massachusetts Municipal Cybersecurity Summit was held October 6, 2022. This virtual training event for Commonwealth municipalities, held during the first week of Massachusetts Cybersecurity Month, featured keynotes from state and federal leadership, and sessions to learn about the latest threats and modern security concepts--including zero-trust architecture.

In addition, the Summit highlighted statewide efforts to create a larger pipeline for cybersecurity professionals while increasing research into cybersecurity threats and providing operational support for municipalities by creating Cybersecurity Centers of Excellence at colleges and universities across the state, including both cyber range facilities and security operations centers (SOCs). These Centers will help bolster municipal cybersecurity.

During the event, municipalities were given opportunities to network and collaborate, as well as guidance and information on resources and programs to help them enhance their cyber culture, protect against cyberattacks, and improve their cybersecurity resiliency.

A Passport of Resources was created containing helpful links to resources referenced by the speakers during their presentations and panel discussions.

Recordings of the sessions can be found in the link HERE

MassCyberCenter Ecosystem Program Manager Max Fathy spoke with Yashu Kauffman, Vice President at the Commonwealth Corporation, about building a stronger cyber workforce talent pipeline in the Commonwealth. 

Watch the video below. 

The teams at .406 Ventures and AGC Partners hosted the Massachusetts Cybersecurity Entrepreneurship Forum at District Hall Boston in late October.

The event included a fireside chat between .406 Ventures Partner Greg Dracon and CyberArk CEO Udi Mokady. The event also featured a panel on local industry leaders and another on the fundraising environment for cybersecurity companies in today’s economy.  

Special thanks to Secretary Wood for his remarks on behalf of the Commonwealth, and to Maria Lewis Kussmaul at AGC Partners.

In late October Damian Cleary and Mauricio Tellez Nava from Verizon’s Threat Research Advisory Center provided an overview of the 2022 Data Breach Investigation Report (DBIR) to the Cyber Resilient Massachusetts Working Group and other cybersecurity stakeholders from across the Commonwealth.  

Verizon has gathered data and analyzed security incidents for over 15 years and produced the annual DBIR with the goal of providing “a place for security practitioners to look for data-driven, real-world views on what commonly befalls companies with regard to cybercrime.”

To obtain a copy of the 2022 DBIR, please go to: https://www.verizon.com/business/resources/reports/dbir/.

This Massachusetts Cybersecurity Month Event was presented by Verizon in partnership with the Commonwealth Fusion Center and the MassCyberCenter.

Bay Path University held their 10^th annual Cybersecurity Summit, “The Evolution of Cyber Supply Chain Attacks and the Role of Data Science,” on Friday, October 7.

The Summit was headlined with a presentation from the CISO and Head of Enterprise Cybersecurity at MassMutual, Ariel Weintraub. The presentation focused on the importance of businesses improving their overall cybersecurity and an analysis of the current cyber threat landscape.

More information on Bay Path University’s Cybersecurity Summit can be found here: 10th Annual Cybersecurity Summit | Bay Path University

The UMass Lowell Cybersecurity Summit provided attendees with an overview of UML's cyber programs and informative research presentations from faculty. 

Attendees learned about practical cybersecurity tips, UML's cybersecurity degree and certificate programs, and research being conducted by faculty.

Thank you to all of the organizations that made Massachusetts Cybersecurity Month 2022 a success!

Click the image below to find an interactive map that highlights additional event recaps, resources, and media coverage from the Month.

More information about the Massachusetts Cybersecurity Month can be found here. 

If you have any questions, please contact the MassCyberCenter at MassCyberCenter@masstech.org.