Ben Read

Ben Read is the director of Mandiant Threat Intelligence’s cyber espionage analysis team. The team he leads tracks and reports on espionage groups from China, Russia, North Korea and many other countries. He was an analyst on the same team at iSIGHT Partners before it was acquired by FireEye in January 2016. Prior to iSIGHT, Mr. Read worked as a special assistant at the National Security Council’s European Affairs Directorate. While there, he supported the numerous presidential trips and meetings including the 2012 NATO Summit in Chicago. He is also an Adjunct Associate Professor at Georgetown University’s Security Studies Program, where he teaches on cyber operations.

Mr. Read holds a Masters in International Affairs from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, where he specialized in International Security Policy, as well as, a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and German Studies from Amherst College.

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Talk: Bridging the gap between Civil Society and Private Sector Threat Intel

Civil Society faces imminent threats to safety from cyber operations every day but due to a reporting gap we rarely hear about it. Fears of surprise massive cyber attacks disrupting public life pervade media reporting and haunt defense planners. Yet these scenarios remain hypothetical, while for civil society, the danger is real - and yet it is rarely reported. This presentation will examine this gap and detail the efforts of the Threat Intelligence Coalition, a new initiative to help civil society by pooling and channeling industry and academic expertise their way. The coalition is open to any civil society organization in need, and researchers willing to help. Together we can provide help where it is most needed, to the benefit of all. The more we know about the cyber threats, the more we can do to stop them.