Axios Live: Federal focus on cyber crime is a step in the right direction, former FBI official says

SAN FRANCISCO — It's a "hopeful" sign that the White House is prioritizing new cyber policies, Halcyon Ransomware Research Center SVP Cynthia Kaiser said at an Axios Live event this week.

Why it matters: Cyber risks like ransomware, fraud and scams can create chaos in the day-to-day lives of Americans.

• "Everybody here knows somebody who's affected by a scam," Kaiser said.
• Cyberattacks can cripple businesses and cause more than monetary damages, she added. When hospitals are targeted and lose their ability to perform crucial tests quickly, "people die."

Axios' Sam Sabin spoke with Kaiser and Microsoft Security CVP Vasu Jakkal at the event, sponsored by Varonis.

Driving the news: A March 6 White House executive order signals a broader push to confront cyberthreats.

• The order may help hold nation-states like Iran accountable if they are found to be hosting cybercriminals.

By the numbers: The FBI receives "over 3,000 tips a day on cybercrime," Kaiser said.

• Microsoft is seeing "7,000 password attacks per second," according to Jakkal.

The bottom line: As cyberattacks speed up because of AI — from "weeks" or "days" to "minutes," Jakkal said — the pressure is growing on policymakers to treat cybercrime as a timely and relevant threat.

Content from the sponsor's segment:

In a View From the Top conversation, Matt Radolec, Varonis' vice president of incident response and cloud operations, told Axios Live EVP Kristin Burkhalter that security tools and AI systems built for security protection can "become an encyclopedia for an attacker."

• Cyber criminals can target AI agents themselves — "rather than trying to access the network information," Radolec said.