Johns Hopkins SAIS to host virtual discussion on SolarWinds hack featuring Thomas Rid, cybersecurity expert and SAIS professor, on January 8

Eliot A. Cohen, dean of Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) will host “Did Russia Just Attack the U.S.?” a conversation about the SolarWinds hack. The event, featuring Thomas Rid, a cybersecurity expert and professor of Strategic Studies at Johns Hopkins SAIS, will take place on Friday, January 8 as part of the Dean’s Speaker Series. Rid, who closely tracked election interference in 2016, was one of the first named sources to call out the hack-and-leak as a Russian intelligence operation. He previously shared his expertise on information security and intelligence during testimony before the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, German Bundestag, and UK Parliament.

 

During the event, Cohen and Rid will discuss Russia's alleged hack of the U.S. government and tech companies, and consider how the incoming Biden administration might respond.

Eliot A. Cohen

Dean, Johns Hopkins SAIS

 

Thomas Rid

Professor of Strategic Studies, Johns Hopkins SAIS

10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m. EST

Friday, January 8, 2021

This virtual event is open to the public and media, with registration.

Jason Lucas 

Communications Manager

Johns Hopkins SAIS

+1 (202) 663-5620

Thomas Rid is professor of Strategic Studies at Johns Hopkins SAIS. He previously served as a professor of Security Studies in the Department of War Studies at King’s College London, where he developed a cybersecurity module that bridged the gap between technological and political debates. 

 

Rid’s most recent book, Active Measures: The Secret History of Disinformation and Political Warfare, was released in April 2020. His other titles include Rise of the Machines: The Lost History of Cybernetics, Cyber War Will Not Take Place, Understanding Counterinsurgency: Doctrine, operations, and challenges, and War and Media Operations: The U.S. Military and the Press from Vietnam to Iraq. Rid’s article “Attributing Cyber Attacks,” which appeared in the Journal of Strategic Studies explored the identification of network breaches. He also closely tracked the election interference in 2016, and was one of the first named sources to call out the hack-and-leak as a Russian intelligence operation, only one day after details became public.

 

Rid has held positions at the RAND Corporation in Washington, the Institut Français des Relations Internationales in Paris, and served as a visiting scholar at Hebrew University and the Shalem Center in Jerusalem. From 2007 to 2008, Rid served as a visiting scholar at the Center for Transatlantic Relations at Johns Hopkins SAIS.

The Dean’s Speaker Series is the highest profile speaker series at Johns Hopkins SAIS. The series will host a diverse array of prominent international affairs practitioners and business leaders for insightful perspectives and thought-provoking discussions on international relations, leadership and other relevant topics that impact our focus areas. This fall will feature distinguished experts around themes such as American Foreign Policy and the 2020 Election, International Order after Coronavirus, Targets of Opportunity in the Global Arena, and Race Relations, Civic Engagement and Global Social Movements. All events require pre-registration and are free and open to the public.

A division of Johns Hopkins University, the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) is a global institution that offers students an international perspective on today's critical issues. For more than 75 years, Johns Hopkins SAIS has produced great leaders, thinkers, and practitioners of international relations. Public leaders and private sector executives alike seek the counsel of the faculty, whose ideas and research inform and shape policy. Johns Hopkins SAIS offers a global perspective across three campus locations: Bologna, Italy; Nanjing, China; and Washington, D.C. The school's interdisciplinary curriculum is strongly rooted in the study of international economics, international relations, and regional studies, preparing students to address multifaceted challenges in the world today. 

 

For more information, visit sais.jhu.edu or on Twitter @SAISHopkins

 

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