The Honorable Susan Gordon
Former Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence / CIG Principal
What’s top of mind for you in cyber right now and why?
Influence operations. It feels the conversation has moved on from the information shaping that our adversaries and competitors continue to do. Not only are they still active but they’re getting more sophisticated in how they insert their narratives into others’ public squares for the purpose of either disruption or manipulation.
What will you be watching for most in the next 6-12 months in cyber?
Lessons learned and applied from the information war being waged as part of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. My sense is that because it did not manifest as projected at the beginning of the conflict, many aren’t aware of the whole range of cyber actions and just how central they are to the Ukraine war story. We’re actually seeing the maturation of a specific, new technical discipline into integrated operations that include WW2 tactics. In Ukraine, we’re getting a practical look at the evolution of warfare.
What will be the next big drivers of the evolution of public-private partnerships?
Actual use of all of the technical data that is being collected by the private sector to better understand (and counter) strategic trends—whether associated with intrusions or simply representing the nature of global, digital activity. While we’re starting to use and share data between the government and the private sector, it’s mostly being used to identify tactical threats and in response to crisis. The future to me, includes using the data more strategically to understand intention, trends, and threats and to use it to stay ahead of those who wish to do us harm.
Read more insights from today's top cyber leaders in The Cyber Initiatives Magazine.
The Honorable Susan M. Gordon is a CIG Principal and former Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence (PDDNI). Prior to ODNI, Gordon served in multiple leadership roles in the IC including as Deputy Director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) and 27 years at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), where she held senior executive positions in four of the Agency’s directorates. In 1998, she designed and drove the formation of In-Q-Tel, a private, non-profit company created to deliver innovative technology solutions for the agency and the IC.
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