CybersecurityHoward County, Md. attracts cybersecurity firms

Howard County, Maryland boasts a growing presence of cybersecurity firms and specialists at a time when the industry is gaining attention. The cyberattacks on Target and Neiman Marcus have led companies to evaluate their cybersecurity protocols, and when they seek outside expertise, they turn to firms like Columbia-based Chiron Technology Services.

Chad Carroll, vice president of information at Chiron Technology Services, toldthe Baltimore Sun that most cyberattacks are the result of user error, and very few are the result of hackers finding gaps in security systems from outside the network. Many attacks occur because employees open suspicious e-mail attachments or links that lead to malicious sites.

“Not everybody is technically savvy, and not everybody is able to maneuver around a computer,” Carroll said. “They rely on others to be security-savvy for them,” which is when outside cybersecurity experts come into play.

In 2013 there was an average of 122 successful cyberattacks on businesses each week. Cyberattacks cost American businesses an average of $11.56 million per year, according to Greg Smith, cyber technical adviser for Camber Corporation. Smith notes that $4 million of the amount could have been mitigated by proper cybersecurity initiatives.

Many firms rely on software to prevent and manage network breaches but having humans involved is vital to securing network systems. “Any time I hear the word ‘automated,’ I instantly assume you’re … removing the human aspect of it. And that’s not necessarily the right thing to do,” Carroll said. “Somewhere, there’s a hacker who’s going to get around that. And you have to have that human element when you’re doing network defense.”

At the recent RSA Conference in San Francisco, where the nation’s information security experts met to discuss top cyber-related issues, Howard County Executive Ken Ulman discussed the expansion plans of two cybersecurity firms in the county. Tenable Network Security, which has more than 20,000 global customers, including the Department of Defense, confirmed employee growth of 60 percent in 2013, with plans to continue growth in 2014. Hexis Cyber Solutions will open a 10,000 square feet office in Howard County this spring, bringing more than fifty jobs by the end of 2014. “There is a hotbed of cyber activity in Howard County, and we are continuing to attract more companies that are looking to expand and thrive in the Mid-Atlantic,” said Lawrence F. Twele, chief executive officer of the Howard County Economic Development Authority. The Baltimore Cyber Technology and Innovation Center found that in 2013, 19,000 cybersecurity jobs were left unfilled in Maryland.

The Sun notes that the proximity of Howard County to government agencies has helped cybersecurity firms gain federal contracts, and the proximity of large cybersecurity consumers like the NSA offers cybersecurity firms in Howard County a large pool of cybersecurity specialists to select from when NSA employees decide to shift to the private sector.