The State of Cyber Security

On Wednesday, 14 October 2015, Don Thomas will discuss “The State of Cyber Security”.

Abstract

Smart capabilities enter every facet of our lives. From the internet we can control our environment remotely as well as perform activities that no longer require our physical presence. Anything that can be converted in digital form can be transported through the cyber network across the globe. But data has value and is the target of piracy or malicious destructions.

Cyber security today is a global affair. Attacks can come from anywhere in the world. Anyone or system connected to the internet can become a target of cyber-attacks. Cybercrime is getting organized and weaponized, creating hubs of services that novices or non-technical minds can use to participate in the DarkNet, but could not handle the technical dimension.

Strengthening the security and resilience of cyberspace has become an urgent priority for Governments, global corporations and individuals to protect their privacy, intellectual property and identity. The risk of a wide-scale malevolent attack is high. Protecting systems and networks from unwanted cyber intrusions, denial of service attacks and intellectual property theft is particularly difficult. Don Thomas will go over the current state of cyber security, go over some recent high profile crimes and will highlight some of the strategies recommended to fend waves of future attacks.

About the Speaker

Don Thomas is a Principal Computer and Network Security Architect. He has designed, developed and networked IT systems to protect corporations from cyber fraud for more than 18 years. Mr. Thomas has focused on comprehensive architectures to mitigate the current threats and evolve network topologies cost effectively to defend companies from future risks. Don Thomas worked for Bank of America as the Chief DMZ Architect protecting over $250MM in assets globally and responsible for the architecture, governance and roadmaps for the DMZ, global mobility and remote access solutions. Prior to Bank of America, Mr. Thomas worked for prominent corporations, Munger Tolles & Olson, LLP, JP Morgan Chase, Washington Mutual, EarthLink, Nortel, Disney Worldwide Services, IBM, and Lockheed CADAM among others. Don Thomas has a BS in Electrical Engineering from the California State University Northridge. Mr. Thomas is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) and a Certified Global Information Assurance Incident Handler (GIAC/GCIH). Don Thomas is, involved in several technical societies that advance technology, IEEE Computer Society, Information Systems Security Association (ISSA), Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP), Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) and more.

Meeting Info

Meetings are free and open to the public.

Please register at the link below:
https://meetings.vtools.ieee.org/m/35416

Pizza and networking:  6:30 PM
Presentation, Q&A:  7:00 PM

Location:
Swenson Center, Room 101
California Lutheran University
141 Faculty Street
Thousand Oaks, CA  91360

Parking:    Free parking is available in the G1 visitor lot at the corner of Olsen Road and Mountclef Boulevard.  Alternatively, CLU Public Safety has provided us with parking passes for on street parking.  Do not park in the faculty/staff lots, and do not park in areas marked “Homeowner Parking Only”.

Additional maps:  http://computer.ieee-bv.org/meetings/