Jen Easterly, cybersecurity's 'relentless optimist,' hopes feds come back to RSAC next year

RSAC 2026 "Everybody feels massive FOMO if they don't get to RSAC," Jen Easterly says.

To be fair, she has a vested interest in saying this. 

After serving as the director of the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) agency for nearly four years - during which time she was a regular at the RSA Conference, speaking on panels and giving keynotes - in January, she signed on as the chief executive of RSAC. 

Her first conference at the helm of the organization has brought 43,000 people to San Francisco, and happens during what Easterly describes as the "most exciting time to be in cyber - and I've been in a long time."

"We're at this inflection point where cyber and AI are now inextricably linked," she told The Register during an interview at the conference. 

"I don't think we could have said that last year, I ...