This 12 months’s DEF CON theme was “have interaction” and that completely got here via between the file attendance from high-profile authorities officers, the severely superior villages and competitions and the launch of DEF CON Franklin, a name to motion to the safety neighborhood to assist positive up the nation’s weak water methods. After a 12 months of high-profile breaches together with MGM and Caesar’s that closely impacted the town of Las Vegas, which has hosted the occasion for the final 32 years, it’s clear this iconic convention is extra essential than ever.
There have been many well-attended talks from outstanding present and former authorities officers together with CISA Director Jen Easterly who did a Q&A session with DEF CON’s founder, Jeff Moss (thedarktangent) and White Home Deputy Nationwide Safety Advisor for Cyber Anne Neuberger who spoke hopefully concerning the position AI can play in serving to discover and remediate vulnerabilities. Retired Basic Paul Nakasone spoke about his priorities for bettering nationwide and election safety that he handled firsthand throughout his time with the NSA and U.S. Cyber Command, together with his position launching a brand new institute at Vanderbilt College in September. Nationwide Cyber Director Harry Coker introduced a brand new $11 million initiative between the White Home and DHS and spoke with attendees about the necessity to enhance the safety of open-source software program utilized by vital sectors together with healthcare, transportation and power. It’s heartening to see a lot collaboration between the DEF CON neighborhood and public coverage officers – distinction this with the “spot the fed” sport performed not too a few years in the past when authorities officers used to attempt to disguise their presence.
A giant first for DEF CON this 12 months was a totally immersive, walkable metropolis and contest, a collaboration between DARPA, ARPA-H and several other outstanding tech corporations, that challenged contributors to make use of AI to assist remediate and determine vulnerabilities in vital infrastructure together with transportation, hospitals and water methods. This was clearly an enormous effort by a number of groups and the sophistication of the activation present the load that corporations and authorities organizations placed on the expertise of the DEF CON neighborhood to actually assist enhance our most crucial methods and the necessity to collaborate with them to take action.
DEF CON itself put a name out to the neighborhood with the launch of DEF CON Franklin, an initiative to attach volunteer safety specialists with the practically 50,000 unbiased water and wastewater services within the nation, methods which are notably weak. Co-led by Jake Braun, former U.S. Division of Homeland Safety secretary’s senior advisor to the administration directorate, the purpose is to harden the nation’s general infrastructure with public colleges being the subsequent goal. In the event you or anybody you realize need get entangled, join right here.
The picture of the safety neighborhood has come a great distance from the stereotypical man in a hoodie in a darkish basement with a poisonous quantity of Mountain Dew. Safety is now one thing that touches everybody – actually as I’m penning this, I acquired a phishing electronic mail. It’s grow to be a precedence for people, SMBs, enterprises and public-sector organizations who are actually actively searching for to interact with safety specialists to higher determine blind spots. Like several expertise undertaking, efficient communication will play a key position in its success and I’m excited to have a entrance seat.
Insights offered by 5WPR Senior Vice President, B2B, Monika Hathaway.
