Season 2, Episode 3: Everyone wants to be Batman. Hacking Back & Cybersecurity Law

Professor, Attorney and Expert in Cybersecurity Policy & Governance, Kevin Powers joins Jerich Beason & Whitney McCollum to discuss where the law stands on “Hacking Back”. Everyone at some point wants to be Batman. During this Cyberside Chat they will answer questions such as: Is it ok to do whatever it takes to protect data or is it like breaking back into a thief’s house to steal your items back? What could go wrong? How does the Computer Fraud & Abuse Act apply? What are the civil and criminal ramifications to the company executives and board of directors? How do you advise as internal counsel or outside counsel on corporate vigilantism? Where should law and regulation go in regard to the ever-changing landscape of cyber threats? Kevin Powers also speaks about the need for legal professionals to learn cybersecurity law, the programs available, and how you can add CLE’s on the subject.

Articles & Links for Reference:

https://www.justice.gov/jm/jm-9-48000-computer-fraud

https://blog.malwarebytes.com/ransomware/2022/03/nvidia-the-ransomware-breach-with-some-plot-twists/

https://www.wired.com/story/north-korea-hacker-internet-outage/

Note: “The statements of the guest speakers and hosts in this podcast should not be construed as legal advice.  They represent their views only and not those of Epiq or their respective employers.”

BIOGRAPHY

Professor Kevin R. Powers, J.D., Founder and Director, Master of Science in Cybersecurity Policy and Governance Programs, Boston College 
Kevin is the founder and director of the Master of Science in Cybersecurity Policy and Governance Programs at Boston College, and an Assistant Professor of the Practice at Boston College Law School and in Boston College’s Carroll School of Management’s Business Law and Society Department. Along with his teaching at Boston College, Kevin is a Cybersecurity Research Affiliate at the MIT Sloan School of Management, and he has taught courses at the U.S. Naval Academy, where he was also the Deputy General Counsel to the Superintendent. 
 
With over 20 years of combined cybersecurity, data privacy, business, law enforcement, military, national security, higher education, and teaching experience, he has worked as an analyst and an attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Navy, U.S. Department of Defense, law firms in Boston and Washington, D.C., and as the general counsel for an international software company based in Seattle, Washington. Kevin also is an expert witness and consultant with the Analysis Group and serves as a Director for the Board of Reading Cooperative Bank, a Trustee for the Board of Boston College High School, an Advisory Board Member for HYCU, Inc. (Backed by Bain Capital Ventures) and CyberSaint Security, and as a Member of the Boston College Law School Business Advisory Council. From 2016-2017, he was the Panel Lead for the Collegiate Working Group for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE). Kevin, a Navy Veteran, regularly provides expert commentary regarding cybersecurity and national security concerns for varying local, national, and international media outlets.

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