Held at the State House in Boston, the 7th annual Massachusetts Cybersecurity Forum brought together cybersecurity leaders from across the Commonwealth to promote the competitiveness of the state’s cybersecurity ecosystem, facilitate public/private partnerships, and highlighted Massachusetts as a national leader for cybersecurity. The Forum was held around the theme of "Be a Cybersecurity Hero," which encompasses the importance and value of cybersecurity in everyday life, as well as highlighting cybersecurity as an exciting career choice.
During the event the MassCyberCenter announced a grant of $2.3 million to CyberTrust Massachusetts to support the establishment of Security Operations Centers (SOCs) in Massachusetts that will provide municipalities with cybersecurity assessments and monitoring, detection, and response services. The funding will allow CyberTrust Massachusetts to hire students from affiliated academic organizations to work in the SOCs and provide training, experience, and career development for these young cybersecurity professionals.
The Forum also highlighted the winners of a Capture the Flag Competition CyberTrust Massachusetts organized for its academic members during Cybersecurity Month. Participating teams and their institutions were honored with citations from Governor Healey, challenge coins from MassCyberCenter, and sweatshirts furnished by the competition’s sponsor, Zscaler.
Additionally, two panels with cybersecurity leaders from across the Commonwealth focused on the following topics:
- Session A: Cyber Civil Defense in Massachusetts – This panel highlighted innovative collaborations across the state's cybersecurity ecosystem to defend resources-constrained organizations vulnerable against cyber threats. Collaborations serving municipalities, water systems, and higher education, as well as the concept of a cyber volunteer corps, were discussed.
- Session B: Securing AI and Quantum in Massachusetts - This panel focused on the cybersecurity implications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Quantum Computing and how organizations in Massachusetts are working to address these vulnerabilities.
Session A panelists: Mike Lyons (MassBay Community College), James Mackey (Town of Tewksbury), Gus Serino (MA Regional Water Cybersecurity Collaborative), Pete Sherlock (CyberTrust MA), and Max Fathy (MassCyberCenter)
Session B panelists: Troy Lau (Draper Labs), Allan Liska (Recorded Future), Stephen Moskal Ph.D. (MIT), Nathan Gemelke (QuEra Computing Inc.), and Meg Sperana (MassCyberCenter)
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The Massachusetts Cybersecurity Forum was presented by the Healey-Driscoll Administration, the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, and the MassCyberCenter. Special thanks to the chairs of the Joint Committee on Advanced Information Technology, the Internet and Cybersecurity, Senator Michael O. Moore and Representative Tricia Farley-Bouvier, for hosting the forum at the Massachusetts State House.
Please contact masscybercenter@masstech.org with any questions.