Inside Cyber Council, the toughest ticket for cybersecurity pros
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In Northern California wine country the weekend before RSAC, roughly 80 top cybersecurity CEOs, chief information security officers and former government officials convene at the intimate Cyber Council gathering to game out the next two to three years for the industry.
- For the first time, they allowed a reporter into this space.
Why it matters: The predictions made in these wine country gatherings have a frighteningly good track record of coming true, organizers told Axios.
Case in point: In 2023, a presenter demoed how deepfake technology could be used to trick an employee into wiring millions of dollars to someone impersonating their CFO.
- Eight months later, that happened in Hong Kong.
What they're saying: "One of the things we wanted to do was to make this like the Davos of cybersecurity," Greg Clark, managing partner at Crosspoint Capital and one of the organizers of Cyber Council, told Axios.
- "In two or three years, these are going to be on your desk," he added. "When you come here, you're leaving with benefit."
Between the lines: Cyber Council, which is organized by Crosspoint Capital and Advent, challenges participants to look beyond daily threats and think about broader technological innovations on the horizon.
- Axios wasn't allowed at most of the sessions, which are held under Chatham House rules to allow for free-flowing conversations.
- But organizers shared the topics discussed and why they matter for the future of cybersecurity.
Neural processing
The potential of neural chip implants is understandably a bit freaky to many. But once the technology is more capable, it will likely unlock more than just brain power — it will also offer a faster way to run AI technologies than current chip technologies allow.
- "If it works, it will train a lot faster than our best GPUs can," Clark said. "When it shows up in volume and people can actually reliably produce it, it can really take the heat off of the power supply problems and the actual speed of training things."
Gene editing
Another session focused on the potential for genetic editing, including some of the wilder applications being discussed today — and their potential for curing diseases like cancer.
- Yes, but: Once this technology is widely available, privacy concerns will follow, Clark said.
Quantum
The significance of quantum goes beyond just the fear of quantum computers being able to decrypt encrypted materials — although that was also top of mind over the weekend.
- One expert detailed the ways that quantum can allow for communications between two entities, located across the world, without a radio frequency or cable.
Go deeper: IBM and AMD partner on quantum computing with end-of-decade goal
