Q&A with Matt Hayden

Matt Hayden

Former Assistant Secretary for Cyber, Infrastructure, Risk and Resilience Policy, DHS

What’s top of mind for you in cyber right now and why?

The people/workforce challenge is the looming challenge that demands the most effort, with the most advanced and effective cyber solutions still including specialized talent to script and guide even the most advanced tools.

What will you be watching for most in the next 6-12 months in cyber?

Lessons learned from the Ukraine conflict will continue to arrive, but the subject of digital sovereignty as it pertains to space based data and communications will continue to progress with the use of services like Starlink. The sovereignty is a cyber topic as the balkanization of the open internet by nations has led to a potential wild west of space infrastructure.

What will be the next big drivers of the evolution of public-private partnerships?

Threat landscapes and future risk planning depends on trust and leveraging a well understood strategy from both sides of industry and government. The current strategy setting process out of the White House by DIR Inglis and his team has worked well to include input and understanding from those outside of government, and the reveal along with the implementation plan will go a long way in aligning where industry roles and responsibilities advance.

Read more insights from today's top cyber leaders in The Cyber Initiatives Magazine.

Matt Hayden served as the Assistant Secretary for Cyber, Infrastructure, Risk and Resilience Policy at DHS where he was responsible for leading policy development in support of department-wide efforts to reduce national risks with a focus on critical infrastructure cybersecurity, federal network security, countering cyber-crime, and improving the security and resilience of the global cyber ecosystem, as well as national resilience initiatives that enhance Federal, State, and local government and community preparedness and response capabilities. Additionally, he served as an expert advisor on Cyber, Infrastructure, Risk and Resilience matters to the Under Secretary, Secretary, and other high-level officials.