Michael Chertoff reveals the trends he sees at the convergence of cyber, physical and geopolitical risk in an interview with Security DNA podcast host Steve Lasky.
From Ukraine, Israel and Gaza to the influence of the Houthis in the Red Sea to the ever-present specter of China, the global security environment is brimming with challenges. Add to it the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, a presidential election year and the ever-present threat of cybercrime and security officials face a truly complex threat landscape.
In this wide-ranging interview, former U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, co-founder and executive chairman of The Chertoff Group, discusses global security trends. He elaborates on the convergence of cyber risk, physical risk, and protecting personnel, global assets and the supply chain. He shares his concerns about artificial intelligence and how deepfakes and other deception could impact free and fair elections this year.
From a historical perspective, now 15 years removed from his DHS role, Secretary Chertoff discussed the challenges of creating a “unity of effort” at the new agency. He recognized the significant role of the U.S. Coast Guard in bridging the culture gap during those early years.
Chertoff said it is important to set reasonable expectations and that means managing risk, not eliminating it. He stressed the importance of prioritizing areas of greatest consequence and threat, reducing vulnerabilities, and building resilience, with the flexibility to adapt.
Security DNA is produced by SecurityInfoWatch and Endeavor Business Media. Listen to the episode here.
Michael Chertoff is co-founder and executive chairman of the Chertoff Group, former Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and former federal judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. He is an advisor to ABA’s Artificial Intelligence Task Force and author of Exploding Data: Reclaiming Our Cyber Security in the Digital Age.
