Hikvision hires former IBM security pro to lead cyber efforts

CITY OF INDUSTRY, Calif.—Hikvision USA Inc., a video surveillance products and solutions company based here, announced that Chuck Davis has been named director of cybersecurity for Hikvision North America.

Davis comes to Hikvision from IBM, where he worked as an executive security architect designing and managing the global malware defense and vulnerability management programs at IBM. He also was a thought leader and architect of IBM's Computer Security Incident Response Team (CSIRT). From 2011 to 2015, Davis worked for The Hershey Company as manager of global cyber defense, building and managing the company's comprehensive cyber-defense program.

“Hiring Chuck Davis is an important milestone for Hikvision North America,” Jeffrey He, president of Hikvision USA Inc. and Hikvision Canada Inc., said in the announcement. “As the largest video surveillance provider in the world, we have a responsibility to also be a leader in cybersecurity defense. We've made significant investment in the Hikvision cybersecurity program over the past few years. We're continuing to step up our efforts.”

Davis, together with Hikvision Security Lab at Hikvision headquarters, will lead the cybersecurity program for Hikvision North America, overseeing all internal and external cybersecurity initiatives and programs in the region.

“Cybersecurity needs to be a concern for everyone in this industry,” Davis told Security Systems News in an email interview. “So our challenge here at Hikvision is the same as other video surveillance providers. The difference is that we are the leading video surveillance provider in the world, so we believe it is our responsibility to be the best in terms of cybersecurity defense. It's a huge challenge, but everyone here at Hikvision is onboard.”

Davis said his short-term goal is to “build up a better interface and relationships with security researchers, lead the initiative to work with ethical hackers, and examine cybersecurity certification needs for our products and our vertical markets.”

Education and outreach are of paramount importance in an effective cybersecurity program, he said, noting, “We'll be extending our efforts to work with our partners on cybersecurity best practices.”

Davis said he believes manufacturers should secure products against known vulnerabilities, and “they should have a robust program in place to learn of new vulnerabilities and to react to the discovery of new vulnerabilities. We will continuously be working to fine tune the Hikvision processes in North America to minimize the potential for vulnerabilities, and also to react, respond and communicate with our customers as quickly and as effectively as possible.”

He continued, “We're looking at ways to make the Hikvision Security Center on our website even better, with more extensive resources. I'm in the beginning stages of reviewing documents, such as the hardening guide, on the site right now.”

A technologist, Davis holds seven U.S. patents, three patents-pending, 10 invention disclosures, and he also has co-authored two books. In addition to his work as a cybersecurity professional, Davis is an adjunct professor of Computer Science at the University of Denver, teaching master's degree courses in Ethical Hacking and Computer Forensics.