“Joe Stenaka, Deputy Chief Information Security Officer at the Department of Veterans Affairs, discusses agile adversaries, SolarWinds, remote work and veteran data privacy.”
“President Biden’s nominee to be secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, Denis McDonough, says if the Senate confirms him, he will make cybersecurity a top priority at the VA. The Senate will vote on his confirmation soon.
Joe Stenaka, Deputy Chief Information Security Officer, Executive Director for Information Security Operations and Chief Privacy Officer at the Department of Veterans Affairs, discussed some of the major cyber issues the VA is currently up against.
Stenaka said one of the major issues is ‘an agile adversary that’s always after us, trying to figure out ways to get into our networks.’ While the VA did not get hit by the recent SolarWinds breach, Stenaka said it reveals the need for them to work closely with their industry partners and provide secure solutions to their infrastructure.
The SolarWinds attack is a global supply chain problem, Stenaka explained. ‘You need to look at where these things are being developed, who’s developing them, and following that through,’ he said. ‘The federal government needs to get more involved with industry and make sure that those new required technologies are developed securely and safely.’…” Watch the full video here.
Source: Cyber challenges at the Department of Veterans Affairs – By Beatrix Haddon, February 4, 2021. Government Matters.
