They’ve accessed our corporate networks and data, hacked into retailer systems to steal our credit card numbers, broken into the accounts of major public figures like Mark Zuckerberg (News - Alert) and others, and tapped into the Democratic National Committee’s communications. And now there’s a realistic expectation that computer criminals could use their know-how and the connected world around them to mess with our election process, takeover our connected cars and bathroom mirrors, and even pull the plug on widely used infrastructure like our air traffic control systems and electrical grids. So it’s no wonder security remains in the headlines and is among the top concerns keeping IT professionals and C-suite executives up at night.
What’s even more problematic than the steady stream of headlines about the latest security breaches is that there’s no golden bullet to stop these crimes. Indeed, as Rob Sadowski, director of marketing at RSA (News - Alert), wrote in one of the articles in this issue of INTERNET TELEPHONY magazine, hackers don’t play by the rules, and their tactics continue to evolve.
“They are living, thinking human beings, which makes them adaptable and creative,” Sadowski notes. “They have a target – no prescribed path to get there, no pre-conceived notions, and a virtually limitless number of ways to get there. Adversaries change their tactics constantly, so enterprises need to do the same. Enterprises can play by the old rules, and get outwitted, or they can change the game by constantly evolving their cyber protection strategies.”
This quote perfectly illustrates why it’s so important for enterprises, or any organization with a network and data assets that require protection, to keep up with the latest advancements in application, data, device, network, and physical security.
That’s why ITEXPO – which is being held Feb. 8-10, 2017, at the Greater Ft. Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. – has packed its schedule with an array of sessions focused specifically on security.
Among the security sessions to be featured at ITEXPO (News - Alert) is the Hot Topics in Tech and Communications track panel called Adaptive Security: The Next Layer of Defense. Adaptive security leverages a combination of traditional security and predictive analytics, leveraging cloud computing and APIs to theorize where the next attack will happen to implement a more effective security posture.
The same track features sessions called Applying Critical Thinking to Security, Threat Actors Explored: Grandmothers, Gangsters, Guerrillas and Governments, and They Work for Us, Litigating Away the Innovation in Internet Security.
The Threat Actors Explored session will discuss the various individuals and organizations that are working to take advantage of our increasingly connected world. That includes such threat actors as cybercriminals, hacktivists, insiders, and nation-states. Session speakers will present use cases and personal stories that span two decades, 50 countries, and six continents to help audience members better understand the motivations and methods behind these threat actors – and, thus, protect against their attacks.
Meanwhile, the litigation panel will analyze how, and how effectively, legislators and government agencies are attempting to address internet security. It will look at current and proposed legislature and will offer expert speaker input as to the value of these potential implementations.
Security will also be a component of MSP Expo, one of the events to be co-located with ITEXPO. The session, called Cybersecurity as a Managed Service, will discuss how cybersecurity should not be viewed as simply a hardware or software issue – but rather, a managed service that involves training people, implementing processes, and leveraging technology to keep an organization safe. Attendees will learn how to develop assessments that identify corporate vulnerabilities, discuss best practices for creating policies and training employees to implement them, and discover ways in which organizations can implement response capabilities in the event of a cybersecurity breach.
Edited by Alicia Young
