RSA roundup: 2016’s conference brought together information security experts to debate critical cybersecurity issues

RSA® Conference concluded its 25th annual event last Friday at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, CA.

Keynotes, sessions and debates focused on the Internet of Things, industrial control systems, encryption, artificial intelligence and machine learning, crowdsourcing, healthcare, automotive, and more, with many reflecting current industry news. A record number of more than 40,000 attendees experienced keynotes, peer-to-peer sessions, track sessions, tutorials and seminars.

“RSA Conference continues to be the premier security event, with each event seeing more attendees than ever before, and RSA Conference 2016 was no exception,” said Linda Gray, General Manager of RSA Conference. “Our 25th anniversary marks not only a milestone in the conference’s reach and impact in this important industry, but is also a testament to the work we as a community are doing together. There were a lot of great discussions over the course of the week, and I look forward to the positive impact these will make on our world moving forward. We thank the cybersecurity community for its continued support, innovation, spirit and drive as we shape the future of our industry, together.”

Some highlights from RSA Conference 2016

• Hot session topics and presentations:
  • Gerhard Eschelbeck, Vice President Security Engineering at Google, gave a packed house an inside look at what it’s like heading up security for one of the world’s biggest tech companies and hacker targets during “My Life as Chief Security Officer at Google.”
  • Ben Rothke, Senior eGRC Consultant, The Nettitude Group; Phil Agcaoili, SVP & Chief Information Security Officer; Elavon, Roland Cloutier, VP & CSO, ADP, Inc. and Jack Jones, EVP Research & Development, RiskLens shared their strategies for success at the “Habits of an Effective CISO” panel.
  • Attendees learned how to effectively tell their security story and speak the language of business at “The Measure of Success: Security Metrics to Tell Your Story” panel with Lisa Lee, Senior IT Examiner, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency; Julie Bernard, Principal, Cyber Risk Services, Deloitte and Wendy Frank, Principal, PwC.
  • First time presenters William Bengtson, Senior Security Program Manager, Nuna Health and Robert Wood, CISO, Nuna Health, Inc. highlighted how defenses and strategy must evolve with attacker tactics, techniques and procedures at “The Rise of the Purple Team.”
  • As the year begins, Mario Vuksan, CEO, ReversingLabs, reviewed fundamental industry shifts and how to adopt how to trust and build software at “Threats of Greatest Consequences Heading into 2016.”
• Phantom was named “RSA Conference 2016’s Most Innovative Startup” by the Innovation Sandbox’s judges’ panel comprised of technology, venture and security industry thought leaders.
• The Conference reached a new audience at the first-ever, interactive CyberSmart: Parents Education Workshop. Parents from across the Bay Area gathered to learn more about how to teach their children to interact safely with technology.
• The inaugural Security Scholars Program brought together the brightest up-and-coming cybersecurity students from 10 participating public and private universities with leading experts, peers and conference attendees. Throughout the week, students made professional connections, discussed industry trends and participated in conference activities. The program concluded with a Poster Exhibition where scholars demoed and discussed their work while connecting with industry leaders.
• RSA Conference donated space within the Moscone Center so industry professionals could meet the challenge to “go bald” with St. Baldrick’s Foundation to help raise awareness and money for childhood cancer research.

The 19th Annual RSA Conference Awards program highlighted the work of four security professionals in the fields of mathematics, public policy and security practices. This year’s winners included:

• Art Coviello, Jr – Lifetime Achievement Award
• Roland Cloutier, CSO, ADP – Excellence in the Field of Information Security
• Professor Ueli Maurer, ETH Zurich – Excellence in the Field of Mathematics
• Christopher M.E. Painter, Coordinator for Cyber Issues, U.S. Department of State – Excellence in the Field of Public Policy

Source: RSA