Security experts point to the proliferation of smart, connected devices known as the Internet of Things and the growing cybersecurity threats they present.
For example, last year’s Dyn attacks, initiated by about 100,000 endpoints using IOT devices, was viewed as the largest DDoS attack to date and interrupted service to a number of large websites.
(The FBI is investigating a series of cyber attacks that hit Twitter, Paypal and Spotify. The attack was on an internet infrastructure company called Dyn. Courtesy of CBS News and YouTube)
“We must wake up to the cyber risks posed by the billions of IOT devices,” said Thomas K. Billington, Chairman and Founder of Billington CyberSecurity, the host of the conference.
“The Internet of Things therefore will be a key topic at our International summit.”
“The rate at which these connected devices are proliferating is staggering, eluding attempts to harness or tame them within appropriate security protocols.”
“We’ve long accepted the fact that no institution in the cyber age is any stronger than its weakest connected link, and the number of those weak links just got exponentially greater,” pointed out John McClurg, Vice President and Ambassador-At-Large, Cylance.
(Hear from John McClurg, Cylance VP and Ambassador-at-Large, courtesy of Nexus Technologies and YouTube)
Cybersecurity professionals and their organizations are confronting unique challenges with IOT.
“Due to the small size and limited functionality of many IOT operating systems (many already deployed), cyber security professionals are finding them very challenging to secure at the same time their organizations are finding it very easy to interconnect to their enterprise networks,” stated Bob Bigman, President, 2BSecure the former CISO at the CIA.
Mark Weatherford, former DHS Deputy Undersecretary for Cybersecurity, and SVP & Chief Cybersecurity Strategist at vArmour
“My recommendation to companies wanting to understand their IOT risk is to understand how embedded IOT devices are already distributed within their company,” said Mark Weatherford, former Department of Homeland Security Deputy Undersecretary for Cybersecurity.
“Most organizations don’t have any idea of how widespread and ubiquitous these devices have become.” Weatherford is now SVP & Chief Cybersecurity Strategist at vArmour.
The topic of IoT and the future of cybersecurity is one of several panels on the agenda at the 2nd Annual Billington International Cybersecurity Summit.
The summit takes place March 30 at the National Press Club, Washington, D.C.
Information, agenda and speaker biographies for the summit are here.
Speakers from the U.S. federal government, the U.S. military and private sector security experts, as well as international cybersecurity experts, will tackle a broad range of topics at the summit:
- Emerging threats and vulnerabilities
- International CISO best practices
- Global response to cyber protection
- Global information sharing
- Critical Infrastructure protection
- Cyber international norms
Speakers:
- Lt. Gen. Paul Nakasone, Commanding General, U.S. Army Cyber Command
- Greg Touhill, Former U.S. CISO
- Tony Cole, Vice President and Global Government CTO, FireEye Inc.
- Rear Adm. Timothy J. White, Commander, Cyber National Mission Force, U.S. Cyber Command
- Neal Ziring, Technical Director, Capabilities Directorate, National Security Agency
- James Trainor, Senior Vice President, Cyber Solutions Group, Aon (Former Assistant Director, Cyber Division, FBI)
- Thomas Donahue, Research Director, Cyber Threat Intelligence Integration Center (CTIIC)
- Mark Weatherford, Senior Vice President and Chief Cybersecurity Strategist, vArmour
- Dr. Ronald Ross, Fellow, National Institute of Standards and Technology
- Kristen Baldwin, Principal Deputy to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Systems Engineering (DASD), DoD
- Leo Simonovich, Director, Global Cyber Strategy, Siemens
- John McClurg, Vice President and Ambassador-At-Large, Cylance
- Robert Bigman, President, 2BSecure
- Major General (Ret.) Earl Matthews, VP, Enterprise Security Solutions, Enterprise Services U.S. Public Sector, Hewlett Packard Enterprise
- Marty Edwards, Assistant Deputy Director, NCCIC and Director, ICS-CERT, Dept. of Homeland Security
- Alberto Hasson, Director, Israeli National CERT (CERT-IL), Israeli National Cyber Security Authority
- UK National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) Speaker
- Christopher Peters, Vice President and Chief Security Officer, Entergy Services, Inc.
- Stacey Halota, Vice President, Information Security and Privacy, Graham Holdings Company
- Dr. Michael Papay, Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer, Northrop Grumman
- Thomas K. Billington, Chairman and Founder, Billington CyberSecurity
To register for the 2nd annual Billington Cybersecurity Summit on March 30, 2017, at the National Press Club, Washington, D.C. click here.
