Improving the Nation's Cybersecurity - An Open Forum with NIST, Department of Space Commerce, and Red Hat

Forum Desired Outcome: To provide relevant cybersecurity technical and policy updates on current and emerging ideas for protecting open data and cloud environments through standards and best practices in novel regimes, including edge and outer space systems.  

Overview
Red Hat with National Institute of Standard and Technology (NIST), and NOAA Office of Space Commerce are co-hosting the fourth annual Cybersecurity Open Forum – Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity, in Washington, DC. This in-person event will be an opportunity to hear from leading experts, practitioners, representatives from state and federal agencies about the nature of cybersecurity vulnerabilities and strategies to unleash innovation and accelerate the development of a space-based economy.    

Join the discussion with leaders from the field who are shaping evolutionary approaches to safeguard against current and emerging threats for secure data and commerce in important commercial sectors. Topics will include computing and security measures, best practices, and policies for the ever-changing landscape of commercial space, vulnerabilities, and intelligence.      

Two themes will be highlighted for this year’s Open Forum:    

• Building a Space Economy with cybersecurity: The burgeoning space economy is rapidly transforming how we live and work, impacting vital sectors of the US economy. Space-based solutions are becoming indispensable from precision agriculture and resource exploration that bolster our food and energy security, to global tele-communications and internet connectivity, financial transaction security that underpin our digital infrastructure, and to maritime domain awareness and air traffic management that safeguard our transportation systems. Resilient, secure approaches to space systems will maintain US leadership while promoting innovation and responsible space commerce and is crucial for ensuring our economic competitiveness, national security, and technological advancement.

   

  At this open forum, participants will learn from leading cyber professionals best practices and strategies to reduce risk, from manufacture to final disposition at end-of-life, and enable protection from cyber criminals, advanced persistent threats, and other vulnerabilities in domains ranging from the terrestrial infrastructure to the in-space operational environment.

   

• Operationalizing and Innovation in cybersecurity: The space economy serves as a powerful illustration of how targeted investment and strategic development can ignite innovation with far-reaching benefits across the entire economic landscape. As we operationalize space, through advancements in cybersecurity, technology commoditization, and the growth of specialized service providers, we are witnessing a surge in breakthroughs that extend well beyond the space sector. This dynamic ecosystem is driving progress in autonomous systems, advanced materials, data analytics, and more, impacting industries from manufacturing to healthcare.

During this open forum, participants will gain valuable insights into how driving progress in autonomous systems, advanced materials, data analytics, and more are enabling cyber protections and unlocking new opportunities for economic resilience and long-term sustainability for systems supporting our critical infrastructure.