DNC tech chief tests staff with simulated phishing attack [View all]

[octoberlib]

he Democratic National Committee's chief technology officer is launching a series of simulated phishing attacks on the party's staff.

Raffi Krikorian, who joined the party as its top tech official in June, told Wired in an interview that he is quietly planning a series of simulated phishing attacks to test the DNC staffers' preparedness if they face another attempted breach.

Phishing refers to the practice by which cyberattackers seek to solicit personal information via email by posing as a reputable source.


The simulated attack is among several steps being taken by Krikorian to tighten the DNC's cybersecurity to avoid a repeat of the massive breach last year that led to the released of thousands of emails on the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks.

http://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity/349599-dnc-tech-chief-tests-staff-with-simulated-phishing-attack



THE DNC’S TECHNOLOGY CHIEF IS PHISHING HIS STAFF. GOOD.

IF YOU ARE among the millions of Americans concerned about cybersecurity at the Democratic National Committee—and how could you not be?—then the home of the party’s tech braintrust might not give you much hope. The tiny, charmless office, with "DNC Tech" scribbled in dry-erase marker on the door, contains one desk and two computer monitors. Nearby, an overturned couch pokes out from an elevator shaft, a leftover from the widespread departures that followed Hillary Clinton's defeat. And that, of course, came after intruders, believed to be tied to Russia, hacked into the DNC's computers.

If the office itself seems lacking, the resume of its newish occupant is anything but. Raffi Krikorian, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology grad who joined the DNC as chief technology officer this summer, most recently led Uber’s Advanced Technologies Center, meaning he was responsible for getting Uber’s self-driving cars on the road in Pittsburgh. Before that, he rose through the ranks at Twitter to vice president of engineering, where he managed the infrastructure that runs the platform.

Following six years of CTOs steeped in political campaigns, Krikorian brings a uniquely hardcore technical pedigree. That may serve both him, and the party, well. Preventing history from repeating itself requires embedding Silicon Valley technological chops in a nearly 200-year-old political non-profit. Already, Krikorian has recruited engineers from Uber, Twitter, and Pinterest to join his team of 20 and counting. Together, they’re devising ways both to use technology to engage a broader swath of the electorate, and also ensure that technology doesn’t create new vulnerabilities.

https://www.wired.com/story/the-dncs-technology-chief-is-phishing-his-staff-good/?mbid=social_twitter_onsiteshare

There's a good interview with Krikorian in the Wired article.