Melissa Vice on the value of vulnerability disclosure programs

11/07/24 • 35 min

The Department of Defense Cyber Crime Center (DC3) operates a Vulnerability Disclosure Program (VDP) that handles critical cybersecurity issues reported by the public, including using an actual red phone for urgent matters. In the latest episode of WE’RE IN!, Melissa Vice, director of DC3’s VDP, describes how they respond to cyberthreats and collaborate with other groups within the center, such as the Operation Enablement Directorate and cyber forensics laboratory.

Tune in to hear how the program, which began in 2016 following a successful bug bounty event, has processed over 53,000 reports, 56% of which were actionable, and resulted in nearly 30,000 remediated vulnerabilities.

Listen to learn more about:

Why VDP has been recognized by the government as a reliable and economical cybersecurity strategy

How Melissa and her team handled the notorious Log4j vulnerability

How DC3 has explored the use of AI and machine learning to enhance capabilities and scale operations

Listen to learn more about:

Why VDP has been recognized by the government as a reliable and economical cybersecurity strategy

How Melissa and her team handled the notorious Log4j vulnerability

How DC3 has explored the use of AI and machine learning to enhance capabilities and scale operations

Previous Episode

The AI Episode: Experts Share Security Insights on LLMs and GenAI

Hear from this season’s guests for their thoughts and predictions on AI and cybersecurity. We took sound bites from a range of WE’RE IN! interviewees, whose opinions on AI vary from thinking it’s overblown to being cautiously curious. Tune into this episode to better understand AI’s seismic effects on the infosec industry.

Next Episode

Lt. Gen. Lori Reynolds on the evolution of cyber warfare

Lieutenant General Lori Reynolds' (Ret., USMC) career journey from a Naval Academy graduate to a key figure in cybersecurity and information warfare illustrates the progression of military communications and cyber operations. Initially commissioned as a Marine Corps communications officer in 1986, Lori’s career took her from managing traditional radio communications to leading the Marine Corps Cyberspace Command.

Tune in to hear how she played an important part in integrating cyber operations into the Marine Corps' combined arms approach and later spearheaded efforts to create a comprehensive information warfighting function.

Listen to learn more about:

How China's cyber operations have become more sophisticated, quiet and focused on long-term strategic positioning

Why the threat now extends beyond cyberattacks to include technological exports and influence operations

How Russia and other state actors are also engaged in hybrid warfare, operating below the threshold of conventional conflict