{"id":48949,"date":"2022-10-20T14:17:09","date_gmt":"2022-10-20T14:17:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/packetstormsecurity.com\/news\/view\/33957\/Anthony-Blinkens-Silicon-Valley-Visit-Underscores-US-Cybersecurity-Concerns.html"},"modified":"2022-10-20T14:17:09","modified_gmt":"2022-10-20T14:17:09","slug":"anthony-blinkens-silicon-valley-visit-underscores-us-cybersecurity-concerns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/anthony-blinkens-silicon-valley-visit-underscores-us-cybersecurity-concerns\/","title":{"rendered":"Anthony Blinken’s Silicon Valley Visit Underscores US Cybersecurity Concerns"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The US secretary of state visited Silicon Valley this week, on a trip that experts say highlights the Biden administration\u2019s growing concerns over cybersecurity and officials\u2019 push to collaborate more closely with the US\u2019s powerful tech industry.<\/p>\n

Antony Blinken on Monday spoke at Stanford University and was scheduled to meet with tech executives to \u201chighlight the key role for technology diplomacy in advancing US economic and national security\u201d, according to the state department.<\/p>\n

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The department shared few other details about the visit, and did not respond to a request for comment. But experts said national security concerns including the growing threat of cyberwar and potential foreign interference in upcoming elections were almost certain to be on the agenda.<\/p>\n

US administrations have long interfaced with the tech world, but amid the ongoing brutal war in Ukraine<\/a>, Blinken\u2019s visit comes at \u201can incredibly tense time internationally\u201d, said Theresa Payton, cybersecurity expert and former White House chief information officer.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery presidential office since the beginning of the internet has tried to do outreach to Silicon Valley, some more successfully than others\u201d she said. \u201cBut the war in Ukraine has created a critical tipping point in the need for collaboration.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the last year, Russian hackers have carried out several cyber-attacks on Ukraine, including one in January that temporarily brought down<\/a> more than 70 government websites. The scope of Moscow\u2019s cyberwarfare against Ukraine and its allies has been smaller than analysts predicted at the onset of the war, but experts have warned that as the conflict wears on, and Russia\u2019s losing streak on the ground continues, the risk of more comprehensive and catastrophic<\/a> state-directed cyber-attacks grows.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe state department is likely considering what Putin\u2019s plan B would be, and attempting to get ahead of it by meeting with Silicon Valley,\u201d Payton said. \u201cThere are concerns that such an attack could wreak havoc internationally as well as on American businesses.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to foreign cyber-attacks, the state department is likely attempting to work with Silicon Valley on solutions to ongoing concerns of election interference, said Joshua Tucker, co-director of the Center for Social Media and Politics at NYU and senior adviser at security solutions firm Kroll. \u201cWith midterms approaching, all eyes are on social media platforms \u2013 not only for the public, but also from policymakers,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Those concerns include cyber-attacks that could interfere with the voting process, including the disruption of voter registration lists or the counting of ballots, as well as coordinated disinformation campaigns like the one mounted by Russia<\/a> during the 2020 presidential election.<\/p>\n