This year’s Charleston CyberLaw Forum gathered top legal experts, cybersecurity professionals, and insurance leaders to tackle the complex challenges shaping the world today. Hosted in collaboration with the Charleston School of Law, the event featured thought-provoking discussions on the global threat landscape, responsible AI usage, supply chain vulnerabilities, and regulatory shifts that are impacting both cybersecurity and cyber insurance.
Each year, the panel sessions are moderated by leading law firms and insurance companies, and speakers provide their vantage point of cyber threats against our nation’s critical infrastructure and corporate clients. As threat vectors and attack surfaces are ever-expanding, so do the methods used by law and insurance designed to mitigate risk and financial losses for those affected.
This blog post highlights the key takeaways from the event, including emerging regulatory challenges, cyber insurance viability, and the legal nuances of cybersecurity in an era of rapid technological change.
Keynote Highlights | Cyber Threats in Critical Infrastructure
This year, our keynote interview featured Luke Dembosky, Co-Chair of Data Strategy & Security at Debevoise & Plimpton, and Brendan Rooney, SVP of Global Incident Response at Booz Allen, who provided critical insights into the shifting cyber threat landscape. Their discussion exposed persistent vulnerabilities as well as notable advancements in modern breach investigations. From the uptick in asymmetric threats and supply chain infiltration to the increasing accessibility of AI-driven attack toolsets, the keynote underscored the urgent need for agility, transparency, and stronger collaboration within the cybersecurity community.
“Cyber threats are no longer linear,” Dembosky explains. “Rather, they are becoming increasingly asymmetric, meaning they require greater amounts of agility and adaptability from cyber defenders.” In counter to this, Dembosky and Rooney discuss how advancements in quantum computing are on the horizon, but the more immediate concern for now lies in the unpredictable nature of asymmetric attacks.
One critical challenge to consider here is the infiltration of supply chains and contract worker networks – this is where adversaries are exploiting gaps in security. “A notable example is how DPRK-based hackers continue to pose as remote IT workers – a tactic that emerged during the COVID-19 global pandemic – allowing them to gain access to corporate systems worldwide, exfiltrate sensitive data, and funnel funds back to support the North Korean regime. Addressing these threats demands a more nimble and proactive approach from cybersecurity teams.”
Part of a proactive approach circles back to the importance of sharing data. Dembosky and Rooney go on to express that sharing tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) is becoming an essential practice for establishing confidence in threat attribution. “Without this kind of transparency,” they say, “Organizations risk misidentifying attackers and may even end up undermining their own credibility. Clear communication about why an organization is confident in its containment efforts fosters trust among partners, particularly within the supply chain.”
Dembosky elaborates: “Transparency serves as a form of currency in these cases. Without it, business partners may assume the worst case scenario and hesitate to re-engage. Given how sophisticated some cyber threats can be, open information-sharing practices are critical to both maintaining security and business continuity.”
On the topic of artificial intelligence (AI), Dembosky notes how the technology has lowered the barrier to entry for cyberattackers, making offensive toolsets more accessible to a wider range of actors that may not have much funding or technical acumen. “Today, one does not need the resources of a nation-state to target and penetrate critical infrastructure.” Given how interconnected threat actors are to dashboards, applications, and malicious services found on the dark web, “The surface area has changed, giving more threat groups the access they need.”
Watch the full keynote session here.
Panel Highlights | AI & Responsible Use in Cybersecurity
During our AI panel, Morgan Adamski, Executive Director of US CyberCommand, continued the discussion on AI as an accelerant in cyber space. More adversaries ranging from independent hackers to organized cybercriminal threat groups now all have the capability to exploit vulnerabilities at scale, posing an even greater challenge to cyber defenders.
“While our adversaries have doubled down on mass exploitation of vulnerabilities and AI has empowered actors with more attack capabilities, cybersecurity teams are harnessing the power of AI-driven automation and analytics to produce efficiencies,” Adamski said. “AI is being used to help organizations detect faster and parse through vast amounts of data in real-time across many languages. On the defensive end, AI can help us map and understand our networks so we can put the right tools in place and be proactive about shoring up vulnerabilities before they can be exploited.”
Watch the full session on AI & Responsible Use in Cybersecurity here.
Panel Highlights | Regulatory Hot Topics
The SEC has established clear guidance on both proactive and reactive disclosure requirements for public companies, emphasizing greater transparency when cyber events occur. Randy Sabett, Special Counsel at Cooley LLP, highlighted how the agency is cracking down on companies that previously relied on vague risk disclosures rather than detailing actual incidents:
“Companies were reporting hypothetical laundry lists of things that could happen instead of describing what actually happened. Now, the 10K filings include governance and risk management, even adding questions around whether organizations should pay the ransom demands.”
While the intent is to enhance transparency, many companies are now “over reporting”, with more than two-thirds of disclosures deemed immaterial. Here, Sabett stressed that, “It’s the qualitative aspect of these reports that is under scrutiny, and regulators will continue to push for more meaningful and relevant disclosures rather than an overwhelming volume of non-material filings.”
Watch the full session on Regulatory Hot Topics here.
Panel Highlights | The State of Cyber Insurance
“Certain industries face a higher risk of cyber threats, making proactive security measures vital for reducing exposure,” said Sezaneh Seymour, VP and Head of Regulatory Risk and Policy at Coalition Insurance. Seymour’s panel talk put a spotlight on the critical relationship between cybersecurity controls and insurance pricing, emphasizing that specific safeguards can directly impact risk reduction.
Seymour referred to a recent study performed by Coalition Insurance where they analyzed internet-facing systems vulnerable to threat actors, assessing outcomes from ransomware infections and botnet activity. “We found that organizations can significantly improve their risk profile by reducing their attack surface, maintaining a regular patch management schedule, and implementing multi-factor authentication (MFA),” Seymour summarized.
Watch the full session on The State of Cyber Insurance here.
Conclusion
Looking back on the discussions at this year’s Charleston CyberLaw Forum, it is clear that the cybersecurity landscape is moving at an unprecedented pace. From the growing threat of asymmetric attacks and supply chain infiltration to increased accessibility resulting from abuse of AI-driven tools, organizations must remain adaptable and vigilant.
SentinelOne extends our gratitude to the Charleston School of Law, our esteemed panelists, sponsors, and moderators for fostering these important discussions. As cyber threats continue to evolve into new forms, collaboration across legal, insurance, and cybersecurity experts will be essential in shaping more resilient defense strategies to come. Additional CLE materials and recordings of several other informative panels from the event can all be found here.
