Security Sessions on March 14–15 at SXSW
The Forrest Four-Cast: February 24, 2018
One of the new series of sessions for SXSW 2018 focuses on digital security. Scheduled Wednesday, March 14 and Thursday, March 15, this content occurs on the second floor of the JW Marriott. Eight of the most intriguing panels and presentations from these two days include
Bots, Trolls, Warriors & The Path Ahead. Attackers increasingly integrate bots, trolls, and warriors for both opportunistic and targeted attacks. Cyber warriors have an expanding suite of digital weapons and techniques at their disposal, while trolls leverage online forums for disinformation campaigns and manipulation. Both are increasingly used in tandem and augmented by machine learning and automation to micro-target as well as reach global influence. Scheduled Thursday, March 15.
Digital Life+Government Policy+National Security. Understanding the relationship between people and digital technology is not just a consumer issue or an industry issue but one that uniquely involves policymakers and national security issues. It’s not just hacking hardware and systems but also the application of social and behavioral principles to affect the future of nation states. Scheduled Wednesday, March 14.
Hacking Wetware: A History of Social Engineering. Most security incidents today start with social engineering, attacks on people, not machines. With stories and experiences from three decades in security and espionage, Lance Hayden explores how people and culture have always been cyber security’s front line. Scheduled Thursday, March 15.
Internet of Scary Things: Botnet in a Box. IoT is under fire in the news these days, with malicious malware attacks grabbing headlines. This session will take a look at the infamous Mirai and other recent attacks, discuss whether the press hysteria is justified, and end on an optimistic note about why we’re not doomed just yet. Scheduled Wednesday, March 14.
The Machines Are Coming. And That’s a Good Thing. There’s been a lot of buzz lately around machine learning, headlines reading “Robots are Coming for Your Job,”One area where automated help is crucial is cybersecurity. The best way for security teams to get ahead of threats is to allocate time for people to use their intelligence and creativity to enhance security by leveraging efficiencies gained from machine-learning technology to free that time. So, look at that “robot” as performing the routine stuff — and allowing the human to soar. Scheduled Wednesday, March 14.
Medical Devices Need Security Too. This session will cover the key steps to help secure your medical devices that are connected to your network. The presentation will advocate the proper framework, security controls, inventory, and procedures that are needed to help detect, isolate, remediate, threats that occur on your medical devices. Scheduled Thursday, March 15.
Now Boarding Securely: Facial Recognition & Travel. Without even realizing it, consumers have embraced facial recognition through the everyday likes of Snapchat, Facebook, the Photos app and mobile device security. Travel is poised to be the next frontier where facial recognition will play a key role in making things more convenient and secure. Seasoned expert Neville Pattinson will present his perspective and global examples of how biometrics can transform each stage of the travel experience, from boarding passes to immigration checkpoints. Scheduled Thursday, March 15.
Who’s Really in Control of Self-Driving Cars? A few years back, Marc Rogers hacked the Tesla Model S. Scary, right? Actually, it’s not as scary as it seems. In this session, he will discuss the current state of automotive security and give a deep dive discussion on where security needs to be moving forward. Rogers will also cover the steps needed to hack a car, the cars that are most vulnerable, the security of self-driving cars, and how concerned consumers can protect themselves. Scheduled Thursday, March 15.
Other series of sessions for SXSW 2018 include Blockchain (March 14–15), LGBTQ+ (March 10–11), Faith (March 12–13) and International (March 12–15). To see the full lineup of panels and presentations for this year’s event, visit the online schedule.
Hugh Forrest serves as Chief Programming Officer at SXSW, the world’s most unique gathering of creative professionals. He also tries to write at least four paragraphs per day on Medium. These posts often cover tech-related trends; other times they focus on books, pop culture, sports and other current events.
