Blogs and Posts

RSA 2017 Recap

• By: Garry Feldman
• Date: March 8, 2017

The RSA conference is the best place to learn about new approaches to security and to discover the most innovative security technology on the market. It also provides a perfect opportunity to network with leading IT security professionals. This year’s conference was held from February 13 to 17 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. If you weren’t able to attend this year’s conference but still want to know about all of the exciting innovations and talks, here is a quick recap.

Ransomware

One of the past year’s hottest topics related to IT security was the proliferation of ransomware. With ransomware, hackers and other cyber criminals are able to encrypt your data and hold it hostage until you pay an extortionate fee.

A large presentation at the 2017 RSA conference focused on the economy behind ransomware and how these criminal organizations operate. As the payouts grow increasingly larger, the competition between ransomware hackers comes at a high cost to the IT community.

Vendors

One of the biggest benefits of this year’s conference was the presence of many exciting security vendors. To aid businesses who were able to attend, RSA conference vendors were organized in multiple categories for maximum convenience. Those categories included:

• Law
• Identity
• Human Element
• Hackers and Threats
• Governance, Risk and Compliance
• Cryptography
• C-Suite View
• Application Security and DEVOPS
• Analytics, Intelligence and Response
• Technology Infrastructure and Operations
• Protecting Data and Applied Cryptography
• Professional Development
• Privacy
• Policy and Government
• Mobile and Internet of Things Security

Attack Techniques

Another well attended session at this year’s conference was focused on the market’s most common and dangerous attacks. This session had an all-star panel that included Michael Assante, the director of Industrials and Infrastructure for the SANS Institute, and Ed Skoudis and Johannes Ullrich, also from the SANS Institute.

The primary focus of this session was informing attendees of the fast paced world of cyber-attacks and what could be the biggest threat to your organization, with the panel providing valuable information about how to prepare for possible security threats IT professionals may have to deal with.

AI and Machine Learning

The effects of AI and machine learning on cyber security was another primary focus of this year’s RSA conference. Some of the issues that were discussed included how hackers may be able to take advantage of learning machines and possible solutions for protecting your information systems.

Tracks for Learning

This year’s RSA also offered learning tracks for attendees that included topics like:

• Hacking Exposed NextGen: Demonstrations of live hacks and how simple countermeasures can slow hackers down
• Opening the Door to DoD Perspectives on Cyber Threat Intelligence: Information about how the Department of Defense views cyber threats and how industry can partner with the DoD to fight these threats.

IT Security Consulting for Your Company

Do you need help ensuring that your company and your customer’s data are safe from cyber criminals? If so, then you should contact U.S. Computer Connection for your IT security consulting needs. We can help ensure that your business’ data is secure and safe from cyber criminals.