Insider Threat: Web 3.0 Wild West...

The Insider Threat is an Operational Risk that will never go away. It is without a doubt going to be a continuous issue for the Board of Directors, Corporate Management and shareholders for years to come. 

Fortunately, justice has recently sent a clear message about the continuous threats of Intellectual Property Theft and more. Whether you have an unknown system admin working against you because they didn't get a raise last year or the corporate espionage ring selling secrets or identities it will continue to increase over time.

"Economic espionage is the act of stealing company trade secrets with the intent or knowledge that doing so “will benefit any foreign government, foreign instrumentality, or foreign agent.” 18 U.S.C. 1831(a)(1). The Act also prohibits attempts to steal trade secrets with the intent or knowledge that doing so will benefit a foreign government. 18 U.S.C. §1831(a)(4). Typically, economic espionage is directed or sponsored by a foreign power seeking to secure sensitive trade secrets or business information from U.S. based persons or entities."

This has to do with the new generation of new employees who have grown up using the Internet and downloading Apps or open source software. It's still the digital wild wild West and the policies and ethics workshops are nothing more than a compliance officers single strategy of justifying their existence. 

The Web 3.0 is changing these employees attitudes about sharing everything. Many of them come to the organization with a profile on Facebook and don't have any qualms about sharing their own private information. The leaks to the press on major M & A deals should be enough evidence that even good old fashioned ethics are in jeopardy.

The Insider Threat in a Web 3.0 world is not only here to stay. It is just getting started...

Fortitude: Presidents to U.S. First Responders...

On the 3rd Monday of February in the United States, our country takes a day to reflect. To remember, and acknowledge and to honor our American Presidents.

It is a federal holiday specifically honoring George Washington, who led the Continental Army to victory in the American Revolutionary War, presided at the Constitutional Convention of 1787, and was the first president of the United States.

Teachers in schools may focus on student projects around our US Presidents and the dawn of our Republic. A form of government in which “supreme power is held by the people and their elected representatives”.

This day of pause, celebration or study of history shall also include a tribute to all of our “First Responders” across our great nation. Those men and women on the front lines of our democracy that are always on watch. Those who are in action each day, to defend our freedom and our Republic from disasters and evil.

As the pace of the economy across the globe includes new inventions, new technology and new laws; our governments must work in synchronized step with all of our First Responders.

Those individuals who are consistently scanning the horizon, analyzing dashboards of continuous streams of new sensor data, researching the changes in our respective environments and Areas of Responsibility (AOR) to better understand.

Yet these individuals require more. The First Responders who 24 hours x 365 days are continuously Understanding, Making Decisions and Acting in order to address the continuous integrity and constant peace of our great nation, require more.

"Our U.S. First Responders require a continuous set of resources, innovative new tools and training to apply the leading solutions for the United States security, response and resilience. From Liberty Crossing to NORAD. From Pennsylvania Ave to Pacific Coast Highway.

How might a small group of First Responders gather in a particular geographic area of our country to research, develop and deliver new valuable innovations to protect our Republic?"

How might we include industry and academia in an acceleration of information exchange and testing of new prototypes?

One good example is the Advanced Naval Technology Exercise (ANTX) that is again taking place primarily in Southern California over the next six months. Activities will focus on the examination of capabilities by public and private sector stakeholders in the following areas:

• 
Critical infrastructure security, threat mitigation, and incident response
• 
In-service engineering, maintenance, and sustainment of surface fleet and expeditionary combat systems
• Port and maritime domain awareness, data fusion, and decision support
• 
Augmented and virtual reality modeling, simulation, and digital engineering
• 
Unmanned systems applications, implementation, and countermeasures

Yet whether we are creating new learning environments for our First Responders on Land, Sea, Space and Cyber domains, we shall always remember.

On this Presidents Day 2022, Americans who are true First Responders will continuously seek out new opportunities to learn more.

They will collaborate to test and innovate their own new ideas and inventions to preserve our Republic. To make their own neighborhood even more safe and secure.

They will act with bravery and their own fortitude, just as George Washington did and all those who have followed him…

Curious: A Desire to Learn...

On a scale of 1-to-10, how curious are you as a person? Before you quickly answer this vital question, let’s look at the definition:

curious

adjective

cu· ri· ous | \ ˈkyu̇r-ē-əs

Essential Meaning of curious

1 : having a desire to learn or know more about something or someone

curious, a neutral term, basically connotes an active desire to learn or to know.

When you think back on your latest encounter with another person at the corporate event, meeting or Zoom, the latest social gathering, who was the dominate orator? How many open-ended questions did they ask? How about you?

Or if you think back on the total clock of minutes during the conversations, how much was one or two people dominating the time talking, yet never asked any questions of the others present?

Having a curious dialogue with another human is an art, coupled with some science.

It is vital to ask yourself about your own curiosity. Why?

Is your own self-desire to be heard, getting in your way of being more curious and learning?

Is your own ego and self-centered focus on your agenda, an obstacle to your ability to learn or to truly know more about, what the individual you are in dialogue with believes or knows about a particular subject or topic?

You see, your own lack of curiosity may be the reason you are so frustrated. So lonely.

The true “Art” of being more Curious takes time to perfect. So that you do not become annoying to the others you are talking with at the next corporate or social gathering.

“The key word in the definition is “Desire”. If you lack the active desire to learn, then you are still a long way from getting to a place where you are truly more curious.”

At the same time, your own lack of transparency will also create questions by your colleagues of your reliability factor. Of your trustworthiness.

"How might you become more curious and simultaneously more transparent, so that others you are in dialogue with, will trust you and want to reciprocate with their own valuable information?"

One-to-one dialogue with another person will have different challenges, than a leader who is talking with their own team. You will need to practice these on a regular basis so that your curious behavior doesn’t create negative results.

Your total Human-to-Human experience practice, can be done with pure strangers in just minutes. Yet maybe with people you see or encounter on a regular basis and who are not really friends or your real work colleagues.

What about the person at your local market, who you choose to check-out with and so you can chat for a minute or two? Maybe it’s your favorite teller at your bank. Perhaps it is your lobby door person or security guard?

Start the dialogue with: “It is great to see you again.”

Ask a relevant “Open-ended” question: What, How, When, Where…

Become a better listener : "Developing influence requires effective communication, and effective communication begins with listening.

Listening is command central for effective communication. No other skill is as powerful or as necessary for developing understanding− and for communicating a desire to understand.

Perhaps the most common block to effective communication is impatience. So whatever your objective or agenda is, suspend it long enough to focus on what the other individual is saying and feeling. And display patience."

End the dialogue with: “It was great to talk with you again.”

Be interested. Be interesting. Be Curious!

Now you are well on your way to a life of “Continuous Learning” as a true leader…