Presented at
DEF CON 31 (2023),
Aug. 11, 2023, 2 p.m.
(20 minutes).
This presentation will discuss the history of cyberwarfare, highlighting the misconceptions between nuclear deterrence and the nature of cyber conflict. It will shed light on this association in popular culture, including in movies like "WarGames," which influenced then President Ronald Reagan and fed his concerns about potential hacking into U.S. weapons systems. These concerns and other influences helped to shape early perceptions about the cyber domain, which immediately became intertwined with notions of strategic weapons and catastrophic effects. In subsequent decades, continued theorizing about cyberwarfare envisioned strategic cyber attacks that could cause decisive effects, stoking fears of a "Cyber Pearl Harbor." However, the reality is that cyber operations are ephemeral and cyber effects are hard to attribute and are rarely decisive. The turning point in U.S. cyber strategy occurred in lead up to the 2018 midterm election, with the adoption of a new approach focused on defending forward, which involved actively disrupting malicious cyber activity before it affected the U.S. Homeland. This strategy was further informed by Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, which demonstrated how cyber capabilities may be used in large-scale conventional conflict. Looking ahead, in terms of protecting Americans and strengthening our global Allies and partners, we know that private industry and individual volunteers will play a critical role, including many of the participants at DEF CON. This recognition acknowledges that cyberwarfare is pervasive and requires collective engagement.
Presenters:
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Mieke Eoyang
Ms. Mieke Eoyang is the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Cyber Policy. The Cyber Policy office is responsible for establishing DoD cyberspace policy and strategy, providing guidance and oversight on DoD cyberspace activities, and managing DoD’s primary external relationships across the U.S. government, key domestic stakeholders, and our allies and partners.
Prior to that she was the Senior Vice President for the National Security Program at the think tank, Third Way, where she led their work on a wide range of national security issues including on foreign policy, Congress’ role in the national security policymaking process, non-proliferation, intelligence oversight, electronic surveillance, cybersecurity. She was the founder of the organization’s Cyber Enforcement Initiative which focused on improving the government’s efforts to impose consequences on the human behind malicious cyber activity.
Before joining Third Way, she was the Chief of Staff to Rep. Anna G. Eshoo (D-CA) having previously served as the Subcommittee Staff Director for Intelligence Community Management on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. While there, she was the committee’s lead for cybersecurity, personnel management and worked on electronic surveillance reform, among other issues.
Prior to that, she served as the Defense Policy Advisor to Senator Edward M. Kennedy, advising him on all matters related to the Senate Armed Services Committee and Defense Appropriations during the Iraq War. Earlier in her career, she served as the lead Democratic Professional Staff Member on the House Armed Services Committee for the Military Personnel Subcommittee.
Ms. Eoyang received her Juris Doctor from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, and her Bachelor’s Degree from Wellesley College.
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