Cyber Policy Initiative

Cyber Policy Initiative (CPI) seeks to fortify public policy by investigating the intersection of national security, politics, and technology. Established in 2018, CPI conducts research on policy and cybersecurity. It also serves as a forum through which government officials, academics, and technological professionals can engage and collectively strengthen cyber posture against malicious attacks.

CPI currently partners with DEF CON, the world’s largest conference of hackers and technologists, and various government agencies at home and abroad. CPI is committed to advancing critical policy aims with four key pillars.

Aims of the Cyber Policy Initiative

• Publish a yearly "Hackers' Almanack (PDF, 7.2MB)" covering cutting-edge DEF CON technological policy interventions, including topics like AI, biomedical, ransomware, etc.
• Co-manage a cyber volunteer task force with DEF CON and the National Rural Water Association to help secure critical infrastructure, starting with water systems.
• Develop projects to help national-level and local governments develop cybersecurity and workforce development strategies.
• Address policy research needs on Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and other contemporary issues.

Hackers Almanack

We are proud to present The DEF CON 32 Hackers’ Almanack. This year’s iteration marks the inaugural release of a first-of-its-kind report compiled by DEF CON Franklin, a new collaborative effort between DEF CON and the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy—Cyber Policy Initiative. The Hackers’ Almanack compiles the most interesting, impactful, and innovative research and vulnerabilities identified at DEF CON—presented in typically extraordinary fashion.

Download the DEF CON 32 Hackers' Almanack (PDF, 7.2MB)

Jacob (Jake) Braun

Executive Director, Cyber Policy Initiative, University of Chicago 
Co-Founder, Cambridge Global Advisors

Former acting Principal Deputy National Cyber Director, The White House

Jake Braun is the Executive Director of the Cyber Policy Initiative at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy and Co-Founder of Cambridge Global Advisors, a national security consulting firm. He most recently served in The White House as acting Principal Deputy National Cyber Director. Prior to that role, Mr. Braun was appointed by The President as Senior Counselor to the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. Mr. Braun is the author of Democracy in Danger: How Hackers and Activists Exposed Fatal Flaws in the Election System (Rowman & Littlefield, 2019).

While at The White House, he oversaw the implementation of the National Cybersecurity Strategy including efforts to secure our water systems, modernize the federal cyber workforce, enhance cyber cooperation with allied nations, and develop AI cyber security policy.  During his most recent tour at DHS, he advised on multiple cross-cutting cybersecurity initiatives.  He also helped spearhead the first DHS-wide counter-fentanyl strategy and worked on the National Security Council team that developed the first U.S. government-wide counter-fentanyl strategy.  He also helped lead the effort to resettle nearly 150,000 Afghan allies during the withdrawal from Afghanistan.  
   
In 2009 Mr. Braun was appointed by President Obama as White House Liaison to the Department of Homeland Security. He was instrumental in the effort to gain passage in the European Parliament of the largest data-sharing agreement in history between the United States and the European Union. In addition, Mr. Braun designed and implemented a program to modernize the DHS cybersecurity workforce and supported efforts to expand US-CERT, the NCCIC, and CDM. Before his tenure as White House Liaison, Mr. Braun served on the Presidential Transition Team for the Obama Administration as Deputy Director for the National Security Agencies Review. 

In addition to his role at the University of Chicago, Mr. Braun co-founded the DEF CON Voting Machine Hacking Village. In that capacity he co-authored two award-winning reports on the cyber security of our election infrastructure: the DEF CON 25 and 26 Voting Village Reports.  Most recently, he partnered with DEF CON to launch “Franklin,” a program to memorialize the most innovative and impactful findings from DEF CON in the annual “Hackers’ Almanack.”  “Franklin” also recruits cyber volunteers to support underresourced critical infrastructure.

Mr. Braun began his career in politics and journalism.  He has worked on five presidential campaigns and, separately, as a journalist for newspapers in Illinois and Taiwan. He holds an MA in International Relations from Troy St. University, an MA in Education from National-Louis University Chicago, and a BA in Philosophy from Loyola University of Chicago.

Read Jake Braun's Full Profile.