Page 19 - The Dispatch September 2018

TEXAS MILITARY DEPARTMENT
Cybersecurity teams discuss operational tactics during the Cyber Shield 2018
cybersecurity excercise held in Camp Atterbury, Indiana in July 2018
(Photo By: Lt. Col. Kristy Leasman)

She finds Texas’ partners—be it a foreign military or a fel- One of the Texas National Guard’s cyberteam’s priorities
low National Guard unit—face many of the same challeng- is to help its own senior leaders and its partners’ senior
es, even though their cyber programs vary in sophistica- leaders become comfortable with cybersecurity, not just
tion. Ultimately, partner trainings and exercises focus on buzzwords. As a first step, Leasman and her team work
sharing techniques and best practices to protect the forces to identify key cyberterrain and prioritize how to protect
they serve. Leasman says one of the first steps to success- it, which is achieved through a three-step process. First,
ful partnership-building is to enhance training and help her team surveys the cyberterrain to determine a baseline
partners gain buy-in from their senior leaders by demon- of activity. Next, they secure to ensure compliance. And
strating relatable, real-life vulnerabilities. finally, they protect, if something is out of sorts. By educat-
ing senior leaders, Leasman’s team helps them recognize
“Cyber operators go to the exercises to meet certain ob- what the second, third and fourth order effects of their de-
jectives, but now those objectives are being treated as cer- cisions related to cyberassets will mean. Systems connect-
tification-type tests that measure performance as needed, ed to systems are inherently dangerous, and even having
just like when you go into an aircraft and have to perform someone accidentally clicking a link can cause unexpected
a certain maneuver. Exercises are maturing and becoming chaos. But the continued partnerships and collaborations,
more collaborative,” Leasman said. “So far, they’ve ma- according to Leasman and Winnek, hold the key to contin-
tured at the tactical and operational levels; eventually, ued success in the cyber realm.
they’ll mature at the strategic level, too, as the community
progresses in rank and responsibilities.” “The center of gravity of being effective in a cyberresponse
is partnerships. We can quickly identify an issue and iden-
Leasman characterized early exercises as “death by Pow- tify the friends that can help,” Winnek said. “No one can
erPoint,” but they quickly moved to more engaging mod- train up for every possible scenario, so building a commu-
els. Participants lit up in response. Today, common targets nity of excellence within the state or internationally, we
of cyberattacks are everyday smart devices, whose owners have those capabilities to build rapport to share training,
rarely recognize their vulnerabilities and how to protect information and intelligence.”-D
themselves against cyberthreats. Leasman and her team
took advantage of this reality and now show—in real time,
using attendees’ own personal electronic devices—how
easy it is to fall victim to a cyberattack.

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