In case you missed it, put a reminder in your calendar for Hackers on the Hill DC on January 9, 2025 (the day before Shmoocon begins).

And look for more details on related international events later this year....

Bridge the gap between cybersecurity researchers and policymakers. Details and registration links to come, watch this space.

Participants in the all-volunteer event (run by I Am The Cavalry) have briefed dozens of Congressional offices on key issues facing policymakers like security researcher rights, encryption backdoors, supply chain resilience, disrupting ransomware, and (of course) AI.

So if you’re a technical cybersecurity practitioner or researcher who wants to engage in public policy dialogs (whether you’ve had experience before or not), save the date and sign up for our email notifications at https://hackersonthehill.org

#HackersOnTheHill #Cybersecurity #CyberPolicy #Shmoocon

Looks like Congress may do more this session to help improve healthcare cybersecurity. Members rarely make this much noise¹ unless they're planning something fairly large.

My top list includes ways to address hospital Ransomware,² help hospitals avoid CISA Bad Practices,³ modernize outdated IT infrastructure, and getting medical devices recalled for security issues out of hospitals.
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¹ https://healthitsecurity.com/features/amp/how-sen-warner-aims-to-mitigate-healthcare-cybersecurity-risks-through-legislation
² https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama-health-forum/fullarticle/2799961 (which vastly underestimated the problem)
³ https://cisa.gov/BadPractices

On January 19, a team of us ran the 6th #HackersOnTheHill. 100+ hackers met and briefed 20+ congressional staffers in the morning. The White House invited dozens of us to brief them afterward.

It was a massive success! Thank you to all who helped and participated.

First, thank you, @spowazek for helping make things run so smoothly this year! Building on the automation and structure that you and Jennie built last year, this year scaled up (way up) gracefully with more than 50% growth!

Thank you, @RoRo for recording the public portion of the event, printing posters and stickers, and laser etching nameplates. Lots of work. And last year, building the streaming infrastructure that made it possible to accommodate virtual and in person participation.

Thank you, @winnona for being among the eagerest of us to keep the wheels turning, even cold calling Congressional offices to make sure members involved in cybersecurity legislation had the opportunity to engage.

Thank you, Katie Trimble-Noble for helping herd us to make sure the event ran smoothly and everything was thought through! And for helping inform hackers about what staffers do.

Thank you, @HarleyGeiger for supporting the event for the past several years, both in planning and organization, as well as briefing us on current events in cyber policy on the Hill. https://youtu.be/OUspGKVWYWQ?t=32

Thank you, @jackhcable for coordinating with staffers, lining up an interview subject, and getting a space! Last year your work was critical, flexing your bureaucracy hacking skills to organize space and entrance during pretty intensely constrained conditions.

Thank you to the many Congressional staffers who value engagement with the community. Who learn from us to get better at what you do, and who turn our knowledge into action. Especially Jeff Rothblum who showed us a day in the life of a Congressional staffer. https://youtu.be/cP4fSn4vyHE?t=233

Thank you to the increasing number of security researchers who value engaging with policymakers. We've come a staggeringly long way in six years. The next six will be moreso.

Thank you for saying 'cyber' unirionically and for doing the hard thing - peopleing for good.

Thank you to the National Cyber Director, Chris Inglis, and the Federal CIO, Clare M. for bringing us to the White House for amazing discussions. And to their staff who made the process easy enough even a hacker could get our WAVES forms done. Well, most of us. ;) https://www.whitehouse.gov/oncd/briefing-room/2023/01/19/readout-of-office-of-the-national-cyber-director-meetings-with-cybersecurity-researchers/

Finally, a BIG THANK YOU to Nick Leiserson, who started it with the simple words "I wonder if some hackers would enjoy a tour of the Capitol building," and now brought us to the White House.

To the many big dreams that start with "I wonder what would happen if..." and lead us to better things.

AFAIK, this year was the largest gathering of the security researcher and public policy communities. A major milestone, built by a misfit group of altruists doing good.

If you want to participate in future years, sign up on our interest form. https://hackersonthehill.org

#cybersecurity #cyberpolicy #cybercyber #congress #whitehouse