According to John Brennan, former director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), it also presented an opportunity to confront Russia.

In his keynote address at the Fordham-FBI 2018 International Conference on Cyber Security on Jan. 10, Brennan, FCRH ’77, who served as CIA director from 2013 to January 2017, said he told a top Russian intelligence leader in 2016 that Russian meddling in the nation’s election would “backfire” because all Americans would be “outraged” by the country’s actions.

“Clearly there are some Americans who say, ‘Let’s not worry about that,’ which is very, very unfortunate,” he said, after noting that “it’s incontrovertible that the Russians did try to interfere” in the election.

“It’s not just the Russians that pose a challenge in that context as far as our future elections and election processes,” he said. “We’re vulnerable to other attempts—whether they be domestic or foreign.”

Speaking to a room of prominent cybersecurity experts and law enforcement professionals, Brennan called for a statutory provision that would require directors of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the CIA to disclose any critical cybersecurity threats ahead of U.S. elections.

“I think it will take away some of that uncertainty and discretion,” he said.

A disturbing trend

Brennan sees the increasing collaboration that exists between foreign intelligence services and hacking organizations, or non-state actors, as a developing threat to the United States. In his remarks, he mentioned the recent arrests of hackers who teamed up with Russian intelligence officers for the 2014 cyberattack on Yahoo!.

He called the alliance a “disturbing, frustrating trend” for U.S. intelligence administrators who are trying to track down malign actors in the cyber environment.

“[Foreign intelligence organizations] are leveraging that capability outside in order to augment what they already have,” said Brennan. “[What’s] even more important for them [is]to attenuate the forensic trail and the connection between what they do, and who, actually, is carrying it out—as opposed to who is directing it.”

For Brennan, who currently serves as a distinguished fellow for global security at the Center on National Security at Fordham Law, striking a balance between privacy and security continues to present major challenges for the FBI and other intelligence units that are trying to curb cybercrimes.

As the world’s dependence on automation, artificial intelligence, and digital currency grows rapidly, he stressed that there needs to be unprecedented partnerships between private and public-sector entities, as well as top professionals and futurists in science, technology, and other disciplines in the United States.

“There really needs to be a better sense of exactly how the government is going to fill its responsibility to keep its citizens safe and secure and carry out the rule of law in this environment where, in some respects, it’s like the Wild Wild West,” he said.

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Technology offers no guarantee of “absolute security” online, said Ed Stroz, GABELLI ’79, a former FBI agent and current co-president of the cybersecurity firm Stroz Friedberg LLC. He instead highlighted the human foibles that can leave computer networks and online bank accounts vulnerable.

“When you talk about people losing money, usually the root cause of that is that somebody was tricked,” he said. “If I call you and … talk you into believing that I’m from the bank and you should take the following steps, a technologist cannot fix that.”

He spoke in Manhattan on Feb. 23 as part of the Gabelli School of Business’ Flaum Leadership Lecture Series, founded by veteran business consultant and Fordham University President’s Council member Sander Flaum, who moderated the event.

The only way to completely avoid cyberthreats is to stay off the internet, Stroz said. He noted that the FBI and other “three-letter agencies” keep networks unhooked from the web if they want to ensure they won’t be hacked; to protect in-person conversations, they use secure rooms, usually windowless, where no mobile devices are allowed.

Staying off the internet isn’t an option for most of us, of course, any more than staying home all the time is a feasible way to keep from catching a cold, he said. But basic precautions can help manage the risk, he said: Don’t reuse passwords. Add more layers of authentication for your email and other online accounts. Also, he said, practice good “web hygiene” by downloading your computer’s updates when prompted—and not just for your own sake.

If hackers hijack your computer or other device to launch an attack on someone else, “you don’t want to be standing there saying, ‘Well, I didn’t think it was important to load the updates,’” he said.

While technology-related companies could be doing more to protect consumers, he said, “we all have an obligation to be good citizens, digital citizens.”

He said that cyberattacks on large retail chains in recent years got the companies’ attention because, unlike other security issues, they had a chilling effect on business. Asked about future threats, he said hackers will likely focus more on attacking data’s integrity.

“Let’s say you’re a medical organization and you have blood test results, and I change them and then I notify you and say, ‘I want this amount of money because I went in and changed the blood test results. You won’t know which ones. How much is it worth to you to get some type of satisfaction on that?’ The implications, I think, will be substantial.”

He also noted the importance of “measuring people” in a work setting, fostering a caring work environment and making sure that people who handle sensitive data can be trusted. “The insider risk is the thing that could hurt you the most,” he said

He spoke at the University Club before an audience of approximately 100 alumni, students, and friends of the Gabelli School. Asked about leadership, he said that while some are born with innate charisma that makes them natural leaders, anyone can develop leadership skills. But leadership starts with looking inward rather than outward.

“What do people see in another individual that makes them willing to follow?” he said. “You have to sort of evaluate yourself if you want to be a leader and say, ‘What am I projecting, and what does that mean?’”