23 Dec 2021 Cybersecurity Person Of The Year: Jen Easterly

CISA Director leads the U.S. in its fight against cybercrime

– From the Editors at Cybercrime Magazine

Northport, N.Y. – Dec. 23, 2021

The editors at Cybercrime Magazine named Jen Easterly, director, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA.gov), “Cybersecurity Person of the Year” for her outstanding contributions to the industry in 2021.

Easterly was named CISA’s director earlier this year. She leads CISA’s efforts to understand, manage, and reduce risk to the cyber and physical infrastructure Americans rely on every day.

Established in 2018, CISA was created to work across public and private sectors, challenging traditional ways of doing business by engaging with government, industry, academic, and international partners.

Cybercrime Radio: Meet Jen Easterly, Director, CISA

Government and industry come together

On Dec. 1, 2021, Director Easterly announced the appointment of the first 23 members of the agency’s new Cybersecurity Advisory Committee, a group that will advise and provide recommendations to the director on policies, programs, planning, and training to enhance the nation’s cyber defense.

“Since being appointed director of CISA, Jen Easterly has demonstrated that she’s a visionary leader with clear plans for advancing our nation’s cybersecurity mission,” said Ron Green, chief security officer, Mastercard.

“We’ve entered a critical chapter in the history of cybersecurity; digital habits are becoming ingrained in our society, so our approach to security must continue to evolve to meet these needs,” added Green. “As chair of the Financial Services Sector Coordinating Council and vice chair of CISA’s newly formed Cybersecurity Advisory Committee, I’m proud to support her initiatives for enhancing cross-sector collaboration and deepening public-private partnerships to bolster our shared security.”

Director Easterly told Steve Morgan, founder of Cybersecurity Ventures, she is now in the middle of managing “the most serious vulnerability that I’ve ever seen in my career” — Log4J.

“Director Easterly has accomplished so much in what has been a year filled with some of the most damaging cyberattacks our country has ever seen, which is even more difficult to cope with during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Morgan. “You look at the new committee and people she’s recruited and it truly bolsters our country’s cyber defense.”

Listen to Director Easterly on the Cybercrime Magazine Podcast.