Leidos CEO: CISA Protects U.S. from China and AI Cyber Threats
Leidos CEO Tom Bell discusses CISA’s role in defending U.S. infrastructure from growing cyber threats, including those from China and AI.
2 min read
Leidos CEO Tom Bell highlighted the critical role of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) in safeguarding U.S. infrastructure from a surge in cyber threats, including those involving artificial intelligence (AI) and state-backed actors like China. During a discussion with Breitbart News, Bell emphasized the importance of CISA, which was established under President Donald Trump in 2018, in countering these evolving risks.
Trump’s Legacy in Cybersecurity
Bell praised President Trump for creating CISA, noting that the agency was a forward-thinking move to address the growing cybersecurity challenges facing the nation. ‘Little tip of the hat: President Trump in Trump 45 created CISA, and it was genius to do so because he recognized early that there was a significant cybersecurity threat to our nation’s critical infrastructure,’ Bell said.
Rising Threat Landscape
Bell explained that while the sophistication of cyber threats hasn’t necessarily increased, the number of potential threat actors has grown significantly. ‘It’s not that the critical infrastructure of the United States is under a more sophisticated attack per se. It’s that more attackers can be attacking that surface space,’ he said.
Need for Federal Collaboration
Bell called for a federal approach to raising cybersecurity standards across all critical infrastructure sectors, including water and wastewater treatment plants, energy, and utilities. ‘Every municipality has their own water and wastewater treatment plant. All of those are vulnerable,’ he noted.
He emphasized that a coordinated effort is essential to ensure that all infrastructure providers can invest in robust cybersecurity solutions. ‘It’s that simple, and it’s going to require a federal approach to raising the standards so that all those infrastructure companies can invest appropriately in the solutions that are credible,’ Bell said.
Full Spectrum Cyber Defense
Bell also underscored the need for a comprehensive understanding of both offensive and defensive cyber strategies. ‘In order to defend your critical infrastructure, you have to have a very keen understanding of what the vulnerabilities are that the bad actors will be trying to exploit,’ he explained.
Leidos, with its expertise in the intelligence community, is positioned to support CISA and other federal agencies in securing the nation’s infrastructure against cyber threats. ‘Leidos is in a key position to help CISA, the Department of Homeland Security, energy companies around the nation, utility companies around the nation, secure their infrastructure against cyber attacks,’ Bell concluded.
Source: Breitbart
