MSU-led Mississippi Cyber Initiative encourages collaboration, preparation in summit

CLINTON, Miss.—A crisis is not the time to be exchanging business cards.

That was the message to cybersecurity leaders from Supervisory Intelligence Analyst Jamie Hankins of the FBI’s Jackson Field Office during the Mississippi Cyber Initiative’s Quarterly Cyber Summit held at Mississippi College in July.

The Mississippi State University-led Mississippi Cyber Initiative is forging new connections to help the Magnolia State defend against and protect itself from cyberattacks, with the recent summit at MC bringing together key stakeholders in defense, government, academia and industry.

“All of you coming together is critically important for this state,” said Special Agent in Charge Robert A. Eikhoff of the FBI’s Jackson Field Office, who emphasized the importance of a connected response to cyber incidents.

A primary focus of the meeting was planning a cyber tabletop exercise spotlighting scenarios in the healthcare sector, although as exercise organizers noted, the training is relevant in every sector given the common elements with any cyberattack and subsequent response.

Jim Martin, MSU associate vice president for corporate engagement and economic development, shared the successes of the Mississippi Cyber Initiative’s growing collaboration, which include creating a cyber ecosystem that can be used for training by partners across the state, digital forensics support for more than 40 law enforcement agencies, support of Department of Defense training activities and K-12 outreach to teach young people the importance of cybersecurity.

“We are all working together to solve problems and grow capabilities, and this collaboration continues to make a great impact on our state,” Martin said.

MC President Blake Thompson said Mississippi is well-positioned to see technology-driven economic growth like what has been taking place in cities like Austin, Texas, and Huntsville, Alabama, in large part because of the collaborations and connections across the state.

“Mississippi is one big small town, and we have the ability to work together,” Thompson said. “We can put government, industry and academia in the room at the same time to host these kinds of events that build Mississippi’s knowledge economy.”

State Sen. Bart Williams shared updates on how the Mississippi Legislature is working to address cyber and technology issues. Last year, the state created a Cyber Board of Directors that meets regularly to assess key issues related to cybersecurity. The Legislature also is holding hearings in September to examine the impacts of artificial intelligence. While there are concerns to address, Williams sees opportunities for Mississippi to grow its technology sector.

“Education is paramount in anything, and AI is something that we need to have conversations around,” Williams said. “We’ll have different speakers from legal, education and corporate America to talk about AI and if and when we need to address it from a policy standpoint.”

The summit also included updates from the Cybersecurity Infrastructure and Security Agency, WiCyS (Women in Cybersecurity), Mississippi Small Business Development Center, MSU Center for Cyber Education, Industrial Assessment Center at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, Mississippi Artificial Intelligence Network, Mississippi Cyber Unit and The Net Effect.

For more on the Mississippi Cyber Initiative, visit www.mscyberinitiative.org.