The NSA Cybersecurity Collaboration Center released the 3rd video in its Cybersecurity Speaker Series focusing on the value of disclosing NSA-discovered vulnerabilities, and the decision making process behind these disclosures. The Cybersecurity Speaker Series highlights NSA experts that share their insights, lessons, and contributions of their work in cybersecurity.
In this video, NSA Cybersecurity Technical Director, Neal Ziring, and Christen, another technical leader, sat down with Cybersecurity Technical Fellow, Dr. Josiah Dykstra to discuss how NSA uses vulnerability research to protect the nation, and the government makes the decision to share vulnerabilities with companies.
“You really can often distill it down to the basic question, which is: ‘What is best for the nation?’” said Christen.
NSA was awarded a Pwnie Award for the best Cryptographic Vulnerability in recognition of NSA’s disclosure of a vulnerability in Microsoft Windows.
Ziring credits this to NSA’s talented vulnerability researchers.
“I was just so impressed with how the expert that found it had combined deep understanding of how public key cryptography works with how a modern operating system employs that cryptography,” said Ziring.