TO CALL THE NUMBER ON YOUR SCREEN. THAT IS FOR CRIME STOPPERS. 2, 1, 0, 2, TO 4
STOP.
>> WELL, WE’VE SEEN MOMENTOUS
UPGRADES IN OUR CYBER SECURITY
CAREER PATHS AND OUR
CYBERSECURITY EDUCATION SYSTEMS
ACROSS THE ALAMO CITY. AND IN
CASE YOU HAVEN’T NOTICED,
CYBERSECURITY IS ALL AROUND US.
ABSOLUTELY. THAT’S WHY JOINING
US TODAY’S LEADING SA SEGMENT
IS PROFESSOR.
>> MAX KILGOUR, DIRECTOR OF
DATA ANALYTICS PROGRAMS AT
UTSA. GOOD MORNING, SIR.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING
US.
>> GOOD MORNING AND THANK YOU
FOR HAVING ME.
>> SO, PROFESSOR, THERE’S BEEN
A LOT OF TALK REGARDING TIKTOK
AND THE THREAT IT POSES.
CAN YOU EXPLAIN IN SIMPLE TERMS
THE RISK OF HAVING THE APP ON
AMERICAN PHONES?
>> SURE, IT LASTED. SO THERE
ARE A NUMBER OF SORT OF
SIGNIFICANT THREATS FROM THE
APP. FIRST, THE OF COURSE, IS
GATHERING INFORMATION. SOME OF
THE SIGN UP. YOU GET THE USER
NAME AGE AND PHONE NUMBER.
YOU NOW AND THEN THE CAP ON TOP
OF THAT BEGINS TO COLLECT
THINGS ABOUT LIKE WHAT YOU’VE
BEEN WATCHING, SEARCH HISTORY.
MESSAGE, TIKTOK AND AND THINGS
LIKE THAT. AND
THEY’RE BASICALLY I’M GARY
INFORMATION THAT COULD BE
SHARED WITH THE CHINESE
GOVERNMENT AND THIS COULD BE
ANOTHER HUGE COUNTER
INTELLIGENCE, A BONANZA FOR
CHINESE STATE SECURITY
SERVICES. THEY COULD BE
COLLECTING PERSONAL INFORMATION
ON PEOPLE WHO HAVE SENSITIVE
JOBS AND THE DEFENSE INDUSTRY
OR IN THE MILITARY OR
GOVERNMENT.
A RECENTLY. THEY’VE ALSO BEEN
VERY PATIENT AND COLLECTING
DATA ABOUT STATE STUDENTS, FOR
EXAMPLE, BECAUSE STUDENTS
EVENTUALLY GRADUATES IN
CYBERSECURITY AND THEN THEY GET
A SENSITIVE JOB IN THE
GOVERNMENT AND THEY’LL USE THAT
INFORMATION TO APPROACH THEM
THERE’S A 2017 WONG AND CHINESE
LAW THAT WAS ENACTED THAT
BASICALLY REQUIRES EVERY
CHINESE COMPANY TO SUPPORT TRY
MEANS NATIONAL SECURITY
EFFORTS. SO THAT’S THE FIRST
TIME.
THE SECOND THREAT REALLY IS
SORT OF
THAT CAR CAN DOESN’T THE
INFORMATION THAT WE SEEING.
SO, FOR EXAMPLE, YOU WILL SEE A
LOT OF THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT
CHINA IN TERMS OF TAIWAN’S
RELATIONSHIP WAR, HOW THE THE
WEED OUR POPULATION HAS
BEEN TREATED AND ALSO THE 3RD
ISSUE IS
TIKTOK OUR CONTROLS. EXACTLY
WHAT YOU SEE NOW, FACEBOOK.
THERE’S A SIMILAR IT HAS AN
ALGORITHM THAT FACEBOOK’S NOT
OWN BY CHINESE COMPANY THAT
ALSO HAS TIES TO THE CHINESE
GOVERNMENT.
SORT FILING HAVE TO FIGURE OUT
HOW TIKTOK MIGHT SHAKE
INFORMATION. SO SAY, FOR
EXAMPLE, A COMPANY 2024
ELECTION.
TIKTOK BASICALLY.
SUCH MICRO TARGET. PEOPLE
LOOKING AT THE INFORMATION THAT
THEY GATHER AND THEN MICRO
TARGETING MESSAGES THAT MIGHT
INFLUENCE HOW THEY VOTE IN THE
2024. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.
>> SO STICKING WITH
CYBERSECURITY RISKS. THERE WAS
RECENTLY A RANSOMWARE ATTACK ON
THE U.S. MARSHALS. SO WHAT
HAPPENED AND HOW CAN
INSTITUTIONS AROUND THE COUNTRY
PROTECT THEMSELVES FROM THESE
KIND OF ATTACKS?
>> YEAH, ON FEBRUARY 17TH, THE
U.S. MARSHALS OFFICE NOTICE
THAT THERE WAS DAY 2 PICK STILL
TREATED FOR ONE OF THEIR
SYSTEMS. THAT WAS WHERE LOOKS
LIKE IS THAT PRETTY TYPICAL
RANSOMWARE ATTACK WHERE THERE
THERE’S SORT OF 2 PHASES TO IT.
THE FIRST PHASE IS THE CYBER
CRIMINALS EXPO
3 AND GATHER VALUABLE
INFORMATION FROM THE SYSTEMS
THAT THE COMPROMISE. AND THEN
OF COURSE, THEY TURN ON THE
RANSOMWARE SECOND PHASE, WHICH
ENCRYPTS THE FILES AND WHERE
THEY CAN THEN FOR THEM AND THE
PAYMENT. NOW.
U.S. MARSHALS OFFICE AND SAID
BASICALLY THAT IT MOSTLY
ADMINISTRATIVE DATA, SOME
INFORMATION ABOUT
INVESTIGATIONS AND THINGS LIKE
THAT. THEY DENY THAT ANYTHING
LIKE WITNESS PROTECTION
INFORMATION BEEN COLLECTED.
BUT ABOUT 3 DAYS AGO.
AND I KNOW ACTOR EMERGED ON
THE DARK WEB CLAIMING TO HAVE
360 EXPO THROUGH TO DRESS
MARSHALL DATA AND SENSITIVE
DATA. BUT IT’S IT’S UNCLEAR.
THEY’RE TRYING TO SELL IT FOR
$150,000 UNDER A CLEAR WHETHER
THIS IS A REAL OFFER OR WHETHER
IT’S JUST A CYBER CRIMINAL.
BASICALLY.
TRYING TO CASH IN ON THIS
RANSOMWARE ATTACK. BUT IT
DOESN’T REALLY HAVE THE DATA.
AND SO TO ANSWER YOUR SECOND
QUESTION, ORGANIZATION TO
PROTECT THEMSELVES? YOU PUT
MORE EFFORT AND MORE FUNDING
COMPONENT PIECES, INFORMATION,
SECURITY, INCLUDING NOT JUST
THE TECHNICAL COMPONENTS BUT
THINGS LIKE FORMAL EDUCATION
AND TURNS IT INFORMATION,
SECURITY, POLICY AND PROCEDURES
FOR EMPLOYEES.
THAT’S THAT’S A GOOD THING
BECAUSE THEY DO
IS BASICALLY THE MOST VALUABLE
IN COMPANIES. AND SO, BUT FOR
EXAMPLE, ONLY ABOUT 14% OF THE
FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS. BUDGET
IS SENT TO CYBERSECURITY AND
ONLY HALF OF THAT. FOR
HEALTH CARE AND BACK UP AGAINST
RANSOMWARE BACKUPS. REALLY
IMPORTANT TO GET TO THE BACK
OF IMPROVED IT BACKUPS AND
YOU’RE OKAY, MY GOOD FRIEND WHO
RUNS IT INFORMATION. CYBER
SECURITY CONFERENCE
IN TAMPA SAYS BASICALLY IF YOUR
DATE IS NOT BACKED UP AND 3
DIFFERENT PHYSICAL LOCATIONS
SHOULD CONSIDER ALREADY GONE.
>> AND SO PROFESSOR COLDER ONE
LAST QUESTION FOR YOU ONLY HAVE
ABOUT A MINUTE OR SO. OBVIOUSLY
UTSA MAKING HUGE LEAVES WHEN IT
COMES TO CYBERSECURITY. WHAT IS
THE NEW DATA CENTER DOWNTOWN?
ME NOT ONLY FOR THE CITY, BUT
ALSO FOR STUDENTS AND POSSIBLE
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES.
>> I HAVE TO SAY I HAVE A NEW
OFFICE DOWN THERE AND THEY ARE
ONE. IT IS AN AMAZING BUILDING
ALL SORTS OF RESEARCH LABS AND
THEY’RE TAKEN SOME OF THAT
WORLD SCHOLARS FROM UTSA.
AND IT’S CONSTANT IN THAT
BUILDING I WAS TEACHING
FACILITIES
FOR STUDENTS AND THE SIZING
CYBER SECURITY, A DATA SCIENCE
DATA ANALYTICS IN ALL SORTS OF
DIFFERENT DISCIPLINES. AND ALSO
IT’S THE NEW THE
>> UTSA IS NATIONAL SECURITY
COLLABORATION CENTER, WHICH
WE’RE ACADEMIA, INDUSTRY
AND GOVERNMENT COME TOGETHER TO
HELP PROTECT OUR NATIONAL
SECURITY. IT’S A REALLY AMAZING
PLACE. AND THEY’RE WORKING
REALLY HARD
TO INTEGRATE SAM PAGE OR ONE
INTO THE SAN ANTONIO COMMUNITY.
SO IT’S REALLY FABULOUS TO SEE
THAT HAPPEN.
>> PROFESSOR KILGOUR, THANK YOU
SO MUCH FOR JOINING US THIS