Deterrence and Arms Control in Cyberspace
with National Intelligence Officer for Cyber Issues, Sean Kanuck
Thursday, March 10, 2016 at 5:30 pm
Harvard Law School Campus
Wasserstein Hall, Room 1010
For four years running, the Director of National Intelligence’s Worldwide Threat Assessment to Congress has led with cyber threats to national and international security. Under statute, the several National Intelligence Officers constitute the most senior advisors of the US Intelligence Community in their areas of expertise. In this discussion National Intelligence Officer for Cyber Issues, Sean Kanuck, will highlight the technology trends that are transforming cybersecurity and the future of intelligence. Assessing strategic developments in international relations and its implications for deterring malicious activity in cyberspace, his analysis will focus on the (in) applicability of existing arms control mechanisms and deterrence principles to modern information and communication technologies.
About Sean
Sean Kanuck currently serves in the role of National Intelligence Officer (NIO) for Cyber Issues within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. The NIO leads the Intelligence Community (IC) in cyber analysis, directs the production of National Intelligence Estimates, and writes personal assessments of strategic developments in cyberspace. He also represents the IC on cyber issues, including briefing National Security Council meetings at the White House and testifying before Congress.
Mr. Kanuck was appointed as the first NIO for Cyber Issues in May 2011. He came to the National Intelligence Council after a decade of experience in the Central Intelligence Agency’s Information Operations Center, including both analytic and field assignments. In his Senior Analytic Service role, he was a contributing author for the 2009 White House Cyberspace Policy Review, an Intelligence Fellow with the Directorates for Cybersecurity and Combating Terrorism at the National Security Council, and a member of the United States delegation to the United Nations Group of Governmental Experts on international information security.
Prior to government service, Mr. Kanuck practiced law with Skadden Arps in New York, where he specialized in mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, and banking matters. He is a member of the International Institute for Strategic Studies, and his academic publications focus on information warfare and international law. Mr. Kanuck holds degrees from Harvard University (A.B., J.D.), the London School of Economics (M.Sc.), and the University of Oslo (LL.M.).
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