Archives: Seminar

[1 CPE] Threat Actors “Living off the Land” Techniques and Response Review

  Presented by Rob Bennett, Security Expert • InfraGard Kansas City

The recent advisories from multiple cyber agencies of threat actors utilizing “Living off the Land” techniques present a different challenge in cyber defense for organizations. We will cover techniques covered by Volt Typhoon and other threat actors with organization response on how to verify detected activity, logging that will need to be in place to monitor the activity, and how to respond when your organization has evidence that they may be infiltrated.

Rob Bennett has served in a variety of leadership positions in multiple industries focusing on Security and Business Continuity over 3 decades while also assisting organizations with compliance initiatives and strategic direction. Rob currently resides at the Lake of the Ozarks with his retired racing greyhound Otis.

[1 CPE] Defend Today, Secure Tomorrow

  Presented by John Bryant • Cybersecurity Advisor, CISA

Join John Bryant, CISA Cybersecurity Advisor, for a discussion of the evolution of Ransomware, beginning with the first reported incident to the present. Bryant will provide a high-level overview of one incident followed by a look at the lessons learned. Learn about the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) youngest agency, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and resources available at “no cost” to State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial governments and organizations with critical infrastructure.

John Bryant serves as a Cybersecurity Advisor for Region 7 (IA, KS, MO, and NE) for CISA in the Integrated Operations Division. Based in Kansas City, Missouri he supports the Department of Homeland Security’s mission of partnering with industry and government to understand and manage risk, strengthening the security and resilience of the nation’s critical infrastructure. He is the lead in Region 7 for DHS/CISA’s K12 cybersecurity working group. Mr. Bryant provides Cybersecurity resource briefings, Cybersecurity assessments, and Incident Response planning to the nation’s sixteen critical infrastructure sectors and state, local, tribal, and territorial government entities.

Bryant holds a Master of Business Administration with an emphasis in Organizational Development and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Technology from Upper Iowa University. He is a member of (ISC)2 and is a Certified Information System Security Professional (CISSP) in good standing for the past 10 years.

[1 CPE] Panel Discussion: Risk… What Risk?

  Presented by INTERFACE Advisory Council

Every day more stories are circulating about cyber-attacks and breaches causing significant harm to organizations. As an IT leader, you know there is constant risk to your network, data, and ultimately the checkbook. Even when certain risks are known, communicating this effectively to C-suite decision-makers is a significant challenge. Is your company reacting too much and not planning properly? Are you hitting roadblocks in attempting to quantify risk?

Join the INTERFACE Kansas City Advisory Council for an open conversation about Risk Management. Local IT leaders will share some insight on strengthening relationships with the decision-makers that ultimately control your organization’s budget. Bring your specific questions to get some advice about the challenges you have. The panel conversation will look to help you navigate the waters of managing risk in your company while providing some alternatives to the approaches you may have taken already.

Panelists

  • Britney Kennedy, Business Information Security Officer, Cardinal Health
  • Jason Kentner, Chief Information Security Officer, KCAS Bioanalytical & Biomarker Services

[1 CPE] 2023: The Year AI Went Mainstream

  Presented by Randy Lariar, Practice Director, Big Data & Analytics • Optiv

AI is accelerating the risk of fraud, but it can also be used to prevent and detect fraud. Companies need to be aware of both the risks and the benefits of AI and develop an offensive and defensive strategy to protect themselves from fraud. During the talk, we’ll touch on:

  • The recent history and latest developments in Generative AI, Large Language Models, ChatGPT, GPT-4, Google Bard, and more
  • How AI is increasing Risk already
  • How AI introduces new kinds of Risk
  • How AI can help solve some of the problems AI creates
  • Approaches for building an offensive & defensive Data and AI strategy

[1 CPE] KC Tech Specs

  Presented by KC Tech Council

Since 2017, the KC Tech Council has released KC Tech Specs, a report capturing data and analysis around Kansas City’s tech industry. The report is designed to give the tech community, businesses, educators, lawmakers, civic leaders, and students a consolidated, data-driven resource to find information about our region’s tech landscape. Data sources are cited on every page and feature a compilation of relevant statistics from KC Tech Council’s partners such as CompTIA and JobsEQ.

Tech enterprises rely on data to inform and drive business decisions every day. As the voice of Kansas City’s tech industry, we are proud to elevate the data within KC Tech Specs to help us collectively find the opportunities to leverage our strengths, improve our deficiencies and grow together as a tech hub of the future.

Bio: Erin Christensen serves as the Chief Operating Officer of the KC Tech Council, a membership-based association serving as the regional advocate for Kansas City’s tech industry. Prior to her appointment to COO in May 2022, Erin lead workforce initiatives for the Tech Council which included the implementation of a leading tech apprenticeship program. Her role currently focuses on member and sponsor engagement, supporting workforce development, and member program development. Before joining the Tech Council in October 2020, Erin had a long tenure working in higher education with a recent focus on corporate engagement.

She currently serves on the BSIT Advisory Board for The University of Kansas Edwards Campus and on the Industry Executive Council for the North Kansas City School District. Erin is in her second year of the Greater Kansas City Chamber’s Centurions Leadership Program. Receiving both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Northwest Missouri State University, Erin is originally from Rolla, MO but landed in Kansas City in 2014. She currently resides in Lees Summit, MO with her husband and daughter.

[1 CPE] Building a Ransomware Resilience Strategy

  Presented by 11:11 Systems & Zerto

Ransomware attacks are affecting every industry and every size organization with the threats of downtime, data loss, reputation damage, and more. You can protect your organization from these threats by building ransomware resilience into your IT infrastructure. As ransomware threats evolve, so do the available technologies to protect your organization, and having a ransomware resilience strategy is more important than ever. In this session, we will discuss how:

  • The threat of ransomware has become systemic in data recovery planning
    • Prevention alone is not enough, and recovery alone is not enough
  • A ransomware resilience strategy relies on early detection to be effective
  • Air-gapped and isolated recovery are critical for ransomware resilience
  • Speed of recovery and minimal data loss recovery prevent ransom payments

[1 CPE] Hybrid Cloud: Empowering IT with Resiliency, Multicloud Strategies, Optimal Spend, & Sustainability

  Presented by Hitachi Vantara

The hybrid cloud has emerged as a game-changing paradigm for modern IT infrastructure, offering IT Leaders and above a wealth of opportunities to drive innovation and efficiency. With the ever-increasing demand for cyber resiliency, flexibility, and sustainability, it is crucial for IT constituents to grasp the intricacies of the hybrid cloud, including key concepts such as security, multicloud, nearcloud, cloud spend optimization, data refactorization, and sustainability practices.

Throughout the session, real-world case studies and examples will be shared from Day 0, Day 1, and Day 2 customers.

  • Day 0 means you want to take advantage of this new framework but are still working through how to adopt hybrid cloud, how to secure it, and how to recruit proper talent to maximize it.
  • Day 1 means your organization took the first step and has a minimum spend commit they must meet. However, you’re still unsure of how to meet it because you’re still determining which applications to refactor, which containerized microservices to adopt, how to reskill existing talent, and how to implement your compliance and governance strategy.
  • Day 2 means your organization has already overcome these hurdles. Nice work! Instead of worrying about hitting a minimum spend commit, you’re now focused on optimizing your environment to limit sprawling cloud costs and looking towards data repatriation efforts.

Participants will have the opportunity to engage in interactive discussions and pose questions, fostering a collaborative learning environment. By the end of this session, IT Leaders will have the knowledge and tools necessary to evaluate, plan, and implement hybrid cloud solutions that align with their organization’s goals, including sustainability. Afterall, Hitachi is committed to providing solutions that are exclusively carbon-neutral or zero-carbon, ensuring a sustainable and environmentally friendly approach.

[1 CPE] The Ransomware Recovery Puzzle

  Presented by Peter Martinson, Sr Security Engineer • Sanity Solutions

We all hear about ransomware on the news but are we prepared to deal with it? Join us as we talk through real-life case studies of companies that have gone through ransomware attacks and learn how the process works.

  • Timeline of an attack
  • Recovery of Systems
  • To pay or not to pay
  • Legal concerns
  • Cyber Insurance

We will look at all the pieces of the puzzle and see if we can’t form a picture.

[1 CPE] MDR Services: Enhancing Compliance and Mitigating Cyber Insurance Risks

  Presented by Mitch Gurick, Sr Cybersecurity Specialist • AT&T Business

Join us for a captivating 50-minute discussion on how organizations effectively collaborate with MDR services to secure their business. Discover how MDR services not only help organizations meet critical cyber controls for insurability and superior coverage offerings but also elevate overall protection, significantly reducing the risk of costly data breaches and the financial burdens associated with major incidents.

Whether you’re a small company with limited IT resources or a large enterprise with an in-house SOC group, MDR services are indispensable across all sectors. In an ever-evolving threat landscape, where attackers utilize stolen credentials, security misconfigurations, and legitimate IT tools to bypass defenses, technology alone cannot thwart every attack. Experience the power of 24×7 expert monitoring and response provided by skilled security operations professionals, as we explore how MDR services deliver round-the-clock protection, a feat that is often unattainable for most organizations independently.

Don’t miss out on this enlightening discussion as we delve into the growing reliance on MDR providers to effectively combat sophisticated adversaries and safeguard your business.

[1 CPE] Looking to the Future: Threat and Security Trends for 2023

  Presented by Christopher Fielder, Field Chief Technology Officer • Arctic Wolf

According to global leaders, last year’s concerns are still top of mind, but forward progress is being made. The skill shortage is still a present pain point for most, while cloud security continues to be a major source of concern and the number of breaches pace steadily upwards.

Worry has now become action as organizations evaluate their weaknesses, increase budget plans, and proactively work against rising cyber threats. Join Arctic Wolf Field CTO Christopher Fielder as we review our research into the top threats and security trends businesses are facing along with predictions and guidance for the future.