Jay Heslen, PhD

Assistant Professor of Political Science, Cyber Institute faculty

Augusta GA UNITED STATES

Dr. John “Jay” Heslen is an Assistant Professor of Political Science and serves on faculty at Augusta University’s Cyber Institute

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Spotlight

Oct 30, 2023

3 min

Think your city is ready for a cyber-attack? Think again according to our experts

There is no way around it; every day there are new cybersecurity threats to not only individuals, but governments at all levels as well. There have been some high-profile breeches that involve major cities like Atlanta and Baltimore.But those attacks are going to all levels, and recent research has shown most municipalities and cities are ill-prepared for cyberattacks.Research conducted by Donald Norris, PhD, and Laura Mateczun, JD, of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County along with William Hatcher, PhD, Wesley Meares, PhD, and John Heslen, PhD, of Augusta University, found various reasons why local governments struggle with cybersecurity.The research shows local governments recognize the need for cybersecurity but are not taking crucial next steps to ensure cybersecurity by integrating policies into daily management practices. Not just that, some local governments were unaware how often they were under cyberattack.Throw in budgetary constraints, and it leads local governments to be in a tough situation. That, unto itself, is a major sticking point, but the burden could be lessened.“Effective cybersecurity is expensive and too much of a strain on the budgets of many cities and counties,” said Hatcher, chair of the Department of Social Sciences in Pamplin College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences at Augusta University. “This is why we suggest regional solutions to the program, so multiple governments carry the cost.” Meares, associate professor and MPA director in Pamplin College, added it’s not just the financial aspect, but said there’s a shortage of cybersecurity talent nationwide, which compounded with limited budgets, makes it tough to compete.In the quest for talent between private and public sector, usually the private sector can offer more to entice a cybersecurity expert to come work for them.There’s also an issue of many local governments using dated technologies, which may be easier for cyber criminals to attack.“Local government is increasingly being more digitally connected, with vital infrastructure, data and services connected which creates more opportunities for cyber-attacks. Additionally, local governments tend to lag in updating critical technology due to limited resources (both human and financial resources),” added Meares.None of this comes as a surprise in the lack of cybersecurity training.“It’s an expensive service for local governments to provide. This is why we suggest more budgetary support for the training,” said Heslen, assistant professor in Pamplin College. “We’re also unsurprised because local governments often struggle to fund professional training in other areas.”But researchers say there are ways to improve upon safety of critical data most notably adopting dedicated cybersecurity budgets funded at an appropriate level in all local governments. Those resources can help address many limitations in local government cybersecurity programs, from staffing and hardware and software deficiencies to awareness training for all parties in local governments.They also recommend the adoption and implementation of cybersecurity policies to manage and regulate actions taken by all that affect the organization’s cybersecurity.By taking the recommended actions, local governments will have a better chance to provide high levels of cybersecurity and protect their information assets more effectively.This is an important topic and if you are a journalist looking to know more about the importance of being ready and able to react if and when a municipality comes under threat from a cyber-attack then let us help/.William Hatcher and John Heslen are both available to speak with media simply contact them now to arrange an interview today.

Oct 18, 2018

2 min

The next threat to election meddling? Brain Hacking

Almost 15 percent of Americans have reported changing their opinion on political or social issues because of a social media post, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey.“What if, immediately before spreading polarizing social media posts, our adversaries flashed subliminal images known to induce a type of anxiety called state anxiety? Evidence suggests people would perceive those posts in a more emotional way. Those images could, in turn, influence their voting behavior,” said Dr. Jay Heslen, an expert in intelligence and cybersecurity policy and assistant professor of political science with a joint appointment in the Katherine Reese Pamplin College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences and the School of Computer and Cyber Sciences at Augusta University. “Successfully manipulating the cognition of a few thousand people in order to influence their perception of events could be enough to change the result of an election.”Heslen’s current research project focuses on whether exposure to certain visuals or sounds, including subliminal prompts, can induce a negative emotional arousal on people. He’s interested in learning whether that emotional state, called state anxiety, can then influence behavior in a specific, predefined way – a concept he calls neurocognitive hacking.Although research using subliminal prompts is not new and has had mixed results, Heslen’s approach is novel. He uses a specific kind of visuals previously shown to trigger people’s unconscious discriminatory behaviors toward outsiders.“Neurocognitive hacking could potentially be used as a weapon in cyberwarfare,” said Heslen, who worked as an intelligence officer with the Defense Intelligence Agency and the United States Air Force for more than 20 years, specializing in combatting terrorism, counterintelligence and strategic cyber intelligence. “We need to study these capabilities not only for our own understanding but to create sound policies and countermeasures to defend ourselves against others who may use them on us.”With 68 percent of Americans on Facebook and 73 percent on YouTube, according to another Pew Research Center survey, neurocognitive hacking could be a national security problem, Heslen said.“As we advance our understanding of the brain and its processes, including how to manipulate it, we will need to provide neurocognitive cybersecurity to people who use information and communication technologies,” Heslen said. “This will be especially true as we spend more time in virtual worlds.”Heslen is available to discuss:· How neurocognitive hacking can influence people’s behavior· Why neurocognitive hacking is a powerful weapon of cyberwar· What kinds of policies should the government create to protect itself and its citizens from neurocognitive hackingHeslen is a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Air Force Reserve and has served in military operations on four continents to include humanitarian relief operations in Mozambique and South Africa as well as an operational tour in Afghanistan. In his capacity as a reservist, he is currently assigned to the National Intelligence University pursuing an advanced degree in strategic intelligence.Contact us to schedule an interview with Dr. Heslen or learn more about his expertise.

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Biography

Heslen is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Augusta University and serves on faculty at Augusta University’s Cyber Institute.

Before coming to Augusta University, Heslen served as an intelligence officer with both the Defense Intelligence Agency and the United States Air Force, specializing in combatting terrorism, counterintelligence, and strategic cyber intelligence. He is a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Air Force Reserve and has served in military operations on four continents to include humanitarian relief operations in Mozambique and South Africa as well as a combat tour in Afghanistan.

Heslen earned a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Georgia, an MA in International Relations from the University of Oklahoma, and a PhD with a doctoral dissertation in Organizational Leadership from the University of Oklahoma.

In his capacity as a military reservist, he is currently assigned to the National Intelligence University pursing an advanced degree in Strategic Intelligence. His research interests include cyber conflict, the influence of cognitive bias on discrimination, and applying the tenets of coalitional psychology to international relations theory.

Areas of Expertise

Cyber Conflict

Political Science

Cybersecurity

Terrorism

Counterintelligence

Cognitive Bias

Coalitional Psychology

International Relations Theory

Game Theory

Media Appearances

Augusta University receives cyber education grant

WRDW online

2017-02-21

The National Security Agency has awarded nearly $285,000 to Augusta University to aid their cyber education department.

Proposed cyber security facility set for riverfront location

The Augusta Chronicle online

2017-01-11

Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal was crystal clear: the new $50 million cyber security facility he proposed building in Augusta should happen “with lightning speed,” Augusta University President Brooks Keel said. Business and economic development will soon follow, he said.

Answers

Why are governments and their agencies venerable to cyber threats?: Many local governments are using dated technologies, which may be easier for cyber criminals to attack. Effective cybersecurity is also expensive and too much of a strain on the budgets of many cities and counties.
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Articles

Surveys show US local governments must do more to address their cyber insecurity.

London School of Economics

William Hatcher Donald F. Norris Laura Mateczun Wesley L. Meares John Heslen

2023-12-20

Cyberattacks on organizations and institutions have unfortunately become commonplace, and the 90,000 local governments in the US are often targets for these incidents. Taking data from local government surveys, William Hatcher, Donald F. Norris, Laura Mateczun, Wesley L. Meares, and John Heslen assess the current state of cybersecurity in state and local government, finding that these organizations are in fact practicing cyber insecurity. Considering these findings, they make a number of recommendations, including better funding for cybersecurity measures in local government budgets, and improved staff training and management practices.

During the summer of 2023, New York City’s school system was hit by two successful cyberattacks that left the data of over 45,000 students and their families vulnerable. In response, the NYC Department of Education centralized management of school websites, email systems, and other information technologies. This is one of the hundreds or thousands of examples of cyber-attacks on the public sector. It is telling, though, that the largest city in the US, even with its significant resources, struggles to ensure cybersecurity.

Local Government Cyber Insecurity: Causes and Recommendations for Improvement

Wiley Online Library

Donald Norris, Laura Mateczum, William Hatcher, Wesley Meares, John Heslen

2023-10-02

In this paper, we address several facets of the problem we call local government cyber insecurity – a problem that plagues such governments across the nation, if not the world. We describe this problem and discuss its manifestations in local governments. This is followed by our analysis of why, on average, local government cybersecurity is managed and practiced so poorly. Next, we discuss several constraints on local governments that may help to explain why so many of these governments are not able to provide highly effective cybersecurity. We then discuss steps that local governments can and should take to improve their cybersecurity, including adopting dedicated cybersecurity budgets, adopting several highly recommended cybersecurity policies, and following best cybersecurity practices.

Leading a More Effective Intelligence Community: Understanding and Managing the Cognitive Challenges of Human Intelligence Collection in Lethal Environments

Oklahoma University

2016

The purpose of this research was to gain a better understanding of how specific aspects of cognitive performance are influenced by operating in lethal environments with the aim of incorporating any helpful insights into the operations performed by human intelligence collectors. Gaining a better understanding of any negative cognitive effects could enable leaders in the intelligence community to take mediating action resulting in a more efficient enterprise. Simulating the cognitive processes expected to be at play in lethal environments was accomplished by utilizing a technique known as mortality salience that has been shown to induce specific psycho-social reactions in individuals. Cognitive performance was tested by using the simple reaction time, attentional switching, and Stroop tests of the Automated Neuropsychological Assessment Metrics (ANAM4TM). Memory recall was tested by asking participants to recall categorized items after watching a video of a fictional intelligence source. This study found mortality salience had a statistically-significant influence on certain aspects of executive function as well as memory recall and suggest the etiology of mortality salience effects are most consistent with modern understandings of cognitive bias. As such, the term “mortality bias” is proposed for future investigations and explanations of the phenomenon.

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