In the past year, the world has seen how cyber and physical security are intersecting. The Mirai botnet has hijacked hundreds of thousands of Internet-of-Things (IoT) connected devices, including many different brands of IP security cameras, to create a massive Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) weapon. Mirai and other IoT botnets have successfully attacked websites and even internet infrastructure companies with unprecedented power to push major sites offline, disrupt social media, and interrupt ecommerce at some of the biggest online retailers. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Privacy has been violated through extraordinary numbers of data breach records. Cybercriminals are fleecing victims at an ever-increasing rate, now estimated in the trillions of dollars. The digital ecosystem is all around us and is becoming more impactful to our security, safety, and privacy.   

Changing world 

The world is transforming. The latest craze is to link everything to the Internet. From the mundane kitchen appliance to the emerging high-technology autonomous vehicles, are all being digitally connected. This creates great usability, functionality, and remote accessibility for users, but it also introduces new opportunities for online criminals, hacktivists, nation states and a host of other threats. Where there is value, attackers will always look to pursue and exploit it for their gain.   

Information security has traditionally manipulated data, while physical security has always focused on protecting people and assets. Times are changing. Digital systems are now extending their reaching into the physical world to control objects, manage assets, and manipulate environments. Physical security remains a crucial element, but is no longer the sole oversight for safety. The transportation, healthcare, and critical infrastructure sectors are facing a new caliber of risks. Devices in these domains are beginning to control functions which could put people lives in jeopardy. The roles are beginning to overlap. As the digital and physical security worlds collide, it is increasingly important to protect people and assets from both traditional and cyber threats.     

Digital security, physical safety, and personal privacy are becoming more intertwined every day. We are faced with risks and opportunities. Those with the insights to understand both, are best positioned for success.   

Keynote Speaker 

I am excited to be delivering one of the keynotes at the 2017 ISC West security conference and expo!    

Cyber-attacks are an ever-increasing problem that reaches out from the digital domain and into the physical world to impact the security, privacy and safety of people, businesses, and governments. The rapid growth of technology adoption and connectivity are driving new opportunities for attackers at an accelerating rate. The result is a radical shift in expectations by consumers and organizations for more comprehensive solutions, streamlined oversight, and clear accountability.

Please join me in my talk “How Cyber-Attacks are Changing the Expectations of Security, Privacy, and Safety” on April 6th 1:45pm-2:45pm in th marco Polo 701 room. All ISC West badge holders are welcome.   

SIA Education Bonus 

SIA Education@ISC West is a top industry resource for vendor agnostic security and network training. The program offers over 75 educational sessions and information on the newest technologies in security, with Continuing Education (CE) credits recognized by many industry accreditation bodies.   This year the expo is offering a series of free educations sessions focused on drones! They will concentrate on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), Unmanned Ground Robotics & Vehicles (UGVs), and the various software and applications that support them. Registration is not required. 

More information can be found at the Unmanned Security Expo page.     

This is the week! Hope to see you all there in Las Vegas.

Interested in more? Follow me on Twitter (@Matt_Rosenquist), Steemit, and LinkedIn to hear insights and what is going on in cybersecurity.