CyberWire Daily - Morgan Adamski: Seeing around corners. [Collaboration] [Career Notes]

Episode Date: July 30, 2023

Morgan Adamski from the National Security Agency (NSA) sits down to talk about her path to getting into cybersecurity. Remembering back to when she was a kid, she recalls using old technology to chat with friends online, that's where it all began for Morgan. She shares how in high school she fell in love with the concept of debating and being on a team. During her high school career, 9/11 occurred, and she became fascinated with who was behind the biggest attack America had seen in the 21st century, driving her to pursue a degree in National Security. Coming out of college, she was able to get a job in the DIA, after working there for two years, she found herself at the NSA, where she is now. Morgan shares how her leadership style helps her to not only connect dots on problems, but also see around corners, saying "it's not just about connecting the dots, it's about seeing around the corners and so that helps me better predict, um, how do I build an organization that's successful three to five years down the road." We thank Morgan for sharing her story with us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You're listening to the Cyber Wire Network, powered by N2K. and VPNs, yet breaches continue to rise by an 18% year-over-year increase in ransomware attacks and a $75 million record payout in 2024. These traditional security tools expand your attack surface with public-facing IPs that are exploited by bad actors more easily than ever with AI tools. It's time to rethink your security. Thank you. Hi, my name is Morgan Adamski, and I'm the director of the National Security Agency's Cybersecurity Collaboration Center. I had a, you know, hot pink glitter beeper. And I think that is just totally embarrassing. But that was one of my first contacts with technology. I remember going into my basement, rolling up one of those like accordion desks, those wooden desks where the top would come up.

I would long on, there would be a dial up. So you had the do, do, do. I would log on, there would be a dial up. So you had the and then log on to your AI messenger and you'd just be so excited on who would pop on so you could talk to them. And so that was probably my first experience with a computer at the time. So when I was growing up, I was in highly competitive sports programs where I was training from early in the morning to late at night. And I really just loved being able to be part of a team and leading those teams and kind of do a lot of orchestration of different types of practices and plays and how are we going to win? And so I just knew growing up that I kind of enjoyed that competitive nature. I will also offer that I found a lot of excitement when I got to understand rationale behind decisions and then kind of challenge them. So I guess maybe a lawyer in some respect. But I really just kind of gravitated to those opportunities where I could be on a team, but also could just really debate whether or not something made sense.

In high school was right about the time that 9-11 occurred. And I became fascinated with understanding who was behind it, why it happened, and how we could stop it in the future. And I became fascinated with understanding who was behind it, why it happened, and how we could stop it in the future. So I naturally gravitated to pursuing a degree in national security. Now, at UNC Chapel Hill, they have a program in peace, war, and defense. It's called PWOD. It's not a well-known program, but it actually is all focused on just war theory, understanding war strategy, understanding how to essentially get ahead of your opponents and have a competitive advantage. And so I studied that through college

and then went straight on to get my master's in strategic intelligence with a focus on national security. So I have been in the national security business ever since high school, I'd like to say. Right out of graduate school, I was able to get a cooperative education opportunity at the Defense Intelligence Agency. Proceeding from DIA, I was there for about two years working counter intelligence. And then I actually moved to the National Security Agency around 2010, went straight into the NSA Threat Operations Center, which was responsible for cyber defense at the time, and got to work on the cyber defense side

of the game and learn a lot about the business there before actually transitioning to work the offensive mission for NSA, as well as work cyber policy down at the Pentagon. So I have worked the offensive, the defensive, and the policy sides of the house. I would offer that my leadership style is someone that is fast-paced, very operationally focused, but also wants to understand how we need to plan for the future. A lot of people like, you know, when I think about how I approach problems, it's not just about connecting the dots. It's about seeing around the corners. And so that helps me better predict how do I build an organization that's successful three to five years down the road. So I learned at a young age through sports that what really defines people is not necessarily

their successes, but it's how they react after their failures. And so I find that when I'm having a bad day or something doesn't go my way, it's really important for what you do next. What's your next step? How do you approach the problem? How do you ensure that the people around you know you're approaching the problem in a way that's positive? And so I really put a lot of emphasis on figuring out how do we come back? It's a minor setback. You can always come back. It's just you get to define what that looks like. When people think about the cybersecurity workforce, they really focus in on the technical aspects of that. And what people really need to recognize about this industry is it's really not just about being a technical professional.

Cyber security is about having people who can communicate well, people who understand policy, who understand how to bring people together to have a fruitful conversation and deliver mission outcomes. It takes all different types of people to work in the cybersecurity workforce. And I would just offer that if you're interested in being in the workforce, really think about the skills that you could bring to bear to help us. And those are going to be a lot of different things. We need strong people on both sides of the fence. We need people who work in the government, who are technical, who understand how the government operates, understand who the right POCs are, and who are advocating for those private sector partners to get the types of information they need to protect their networks and their customers. And then likewise, I need people in the private sector

who are willing to work with me, who understand my authorities and my capabilities, but also understand my constraints. And so to your question on why I would, you know, the luring of the private sector, I would offer that I'm just as valuable inside the fence than I am outside. I hope that when people look back at the work that I've done, they see that I'm helping lead the National Security Agency into a new area of more openly sharing cybersecurity insights with industry. That is what I want my legacy to be, that I am just one of those people

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