青年涩导航Law School hosts Boston Conference on Cyber Security
The ninth annual Boston Conference on Cyber Security, a multi-year partnership between 青年涩导航Law and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, examined critical issues facing government and private organizations and their defense against the malicious and ever-increasing global cyber threats during a half-day convening at Boston College Law School.
The conference鈥檚 new location鈥攈aving been held in Gasson Hall since its inception鈥攁nd date reflected this fall鈥檚 launch of the Master of Legal Studies in Cybersecurity, Risk, and Governance program at 青年涩导航Law and to coincide with 鈥淐ybersecurity Awareness Month.鈥� BCCS 2025 was organized by Kevin R. Powers, faculty director and lecturer-in-law for the program.
BCCS keynote speaker Brett Leatherman, assistant director of the FBI's Cyber Division.
At the October 15 event, keynoter Brett Leatherman, assistant director of the FBI鈥檚 Cyber Division, acknowledged the 鈥渄istinguished history鈥� and strong alliance between the FBI and 青年涩导航during his opening remarks, and said it was a privilege to speak to industry professionals and partners who share the FBI鈥檚 passion for the cyber mission.
鈥淢ake no mistake, the FBI recognizes the urgency of the cyber threat which greatly impacts national security in an increasingly digital battle space,鈥� he said. 聽鈥淯nlike crime problems that we often see that impact single areas of geographic locations or regions in the United States, cyber threats are border-agnostic; they鈥檙e inherently international threats.鈥� 聽
He noted that hostile nations have grown more ambitious in their cyber operations, such as China鈥檚 state-sponsored Volt Typhoon cyber-attack group, burrowing deep in both America鈥檚 critical infrastructure and the private sector, seeking not just intelligence, but to 鈥減re-place鈥� capacity in networks in the event of military combat, specifically in the Indo-Pacific region. Leatherman emphasized that China鈥檚 cyber strategy is not just about intelligence collection, but about re-shaping the global balance of power
鈥淭his isn鈥檛 espionage; this is preparation.聽 This ensures that if a military conflict breaks out, especially in the Indo-Pacific, they can flip the switch and potentially 鈥榯urn off the lights鈥� and communications within the U.S. military before any shot is even fired.鈥�
Simultaneously, cyber criminals continue to wreak havoc across entire industries, increasingly relying on inexpensive or stolen digital infrastructure to hide their operations, he noted: Just last year, Americans reported $1.5 billion in cyber-crime losses to the FBI, although that figure 鈥渋s only a fraction of the actual.鈥�
The FBI requires government and industry cooperation to fight cyber-crime, Leatherman said.
鈥淥ur charge is to make malicious cyber activity unsustainable for the bad actors.聽 That means disrupting them鈥攆ighting the battle on their digital infrastructure鈥攁nd trying to re-shape the broader environment through persistent engagement in cyber-space operations.鈥�
One recent Massachusetts-related incident demonstrated the success of collaboration between the FBI鈥檚 Boston field office and private industry, he said. A software and cloud storage company utilized by numerous U.S. school systems was breached and threatened with the public disclosure of personal information for millions of students and teachers if they didn鈥檛 pay a multimillion-dollar ransom. But a private sector partner alerted the Boston FBI office which, with the aid of other field offices, identified the culprit as a Massachusetts college student who 鈥渁pparently thought he had found a way to get rich quick.鈥�
The conviction of the perpetrator, who was sentenced to four years in prison and ordered to pay over $14 million in restitution, didn鈥檛 undo the harm caused, but 鈥渢he accountability does provide some measure of justice to those victims.鈥�
Leatherman cited the four pillars of the FBI鈥檚 cyber mission: identify and arrest; pressure the threat; leverage domestic authorities to inform the intelligence communities鈥� posture and to inform private sector partners to better defend their networks and downstream stakeholders; and protect cyber victims.
鈥淭he cornerstone of our work for over 115 years has been our commitment to the victim. It鈥檚 on all of us to support cyber-crime victims to help mitigate the harm of malicious cyber-attacks.聽 Our commitment to support victims remains our north star.鈥�
BCCS 2025 was co-organized by Kevin Powers, faculty director of 青年涩导航Law's Master of Legal Studies in Cybersecurity, Risk, and Governance, shown here welcoming student attendees from Boston College High School to the event.
In her welcoming remarks, Odette Lienau, the Marianne D. Short, Esq., Dean of 青年涩导航Law, noted that cybersecurity has become a strategic priority and a core business function, and requires a holistic approach to its challenges. But few professionals possess the technical, analytical, communication, and managerial skills to develop and then implement a unified strategy to address ever present and varying cyber threats.
鈥淎t 青年涩导航Law, our mission is to educate lawyers鈥攁nd now non-attorney professionals more broadly鈥攚ho are technically skilled and deeply committed to service, ethics, and leadership. Our MLS program is a natural extension of that mission, designed for the times, which are defined by rapid technological change, escalating cyber threats, and a growing demand for professionals who can bridge the gap between law, policy, technology, and operational risk, while navigating the intricate legal and regulatory landscapes of cybersecurity and their intersection with data privacy and artificial intelligence. 聽
鈥淭he collaborative approach of this conference, which emphasizes how different sectors must work together to ensure a secure cyber environment, reflects the hallmark of our program.鈥�
Following the keynote address, a panel moderated by Powers and composed of technology executives from Boston professional sports franchises, along with former Boston Police Commissioner and current 青年涩导航Chief of Police William B. Evans, discussed 鈥淐ybersecurity and Data Privacy in the Big Leagues: Protecting Fans, Players and the Stadiums.鈥� In addition to Evans, the panelists included Randy George, Boston Red Sox; Michael Israel, The Kraft Group & Affiliates (New England Patriots); Richard Pruitt, Boston Celtics; and Shannon Torgerson, Boston Bruins.