Opening Keynote - Monday, September 25th
It’s a Brave New Cybercrime World - Donald W. Freese, Deputy Assistant Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
Floor 4 - JW Grand Ballroom | 8:30am - 9:30am
Join us for a wide-ranging discussion with FBI Deputy Assistant Director Don Freese. The former director of the National Cyber Investigative Joint Task Force (NCIJTF), Mr. Freese will share his insights into how nation-state adversaries are changing the security game and the critical role that threat intelligence now plays in defending everything from our national security infrastructure to your own personal data. Moderator Brandon Dunlap hosts this interactive session, during which you will learn firsthand how this experienced cybersecurity professional views our readiness to secure our critical infrastructure, the shifting intersection of cybersecurity and law enforcement, the increasing need for public/private information-sharing partnerships and the evolving nature of the threats we are all facing.
Don Freese currently serves in the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Information Technology Branch. In his capacity as Deputy Assistant Director, Mr. Freese is responsible for worldwide customer service, IT continuity, risk management, and network operations. In addition, he oversees integration of engineering support and liaison with all enterprise IT divisions, security operations, and incident response.
Mr. Freese has served as a Special Agent with the FBI since 1996. Prior to his assignment with ITB, Mr. Freese served as the Director of the National Cyber Investigative Joint Task Force (NCIJTF), one of the seven designated federal cyber centers. In this capacity Mr. Freese was responsible for leading 24 partner agencies and in partnership to accomplish the nation’s top-tier, domestic cyber mission, through coordinating, integrating, and sharing cyber threat data enabling intelligence and investigative operations worldwide. In previous assignments, Mr. Freese directed operational teams conducting criminal and national security investigations, including international and domestic portfolio management, with increasing leadership responsibility in cross-functional areas of both disciplines. Preceding his appointment as Director of NCIJTF, he served as FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge responsible for all cyber, counterterrorism, and counterintelligence operations in north Texas. Mr. Freese has deep experience leading division level business operations, designing and executing complex financial crime investigations, and establishing critical incident response teams at the field office level.
Mr. Freese is a former Captain in the U.S. Army. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from California State University (Fullerton) and a Master of Science in Business Continuity, Security and Risk Management from Boston University. He currently maintains professional certifications in tactical command and cybersecurity strategy.
Monday Luncheon Keynote Panel, September 25th
Help Wanted! – Addressing the Cybersecurity Skills Shortage
Floor 4 - JW Grand Ballroom | 12:00pm - 1:15pmA 1.8 million worker shortage in cybersecurity gives the old adage “Good help is hard to find” a whole new meaning. With the dearth of qualified cybersecurity professionals and our networks under attack from all angles every day, the demand and competition for talent is fierce. One hiring manager remarked “real candidates are fought over like Thunderdome.” Join Gary Beach, author of The U.S. Technology Skills Gap as he moderates an accomplished panel including David Shearer, CEO of (ISC)², Brandon Dunlap, Managing Director, Brightfly and Don Freese, Deputy Assistant Director, FBI as they discuss the state of job market, why there’s a skill shortage and how organizations can position themselves to find and attract the best candidates.
Moderator:
Gary Beach, Author: The U.S. Technology Skills Gap
Panelists:
David Shearer, CEO, (ISC)²
Brandon Dunlap, Managing Director, Brightfly
Deidre Diamond, Founder and CEO, CyberSN and #brainbabe
Donald Freese, Deputy Assistant, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
Tuesday, September 26th
Resiliency is More Than A Mood: Building a Safer Homeland - Juliette Kayyem, Founder, Kayyem Solutions, LLC
Floor 4 - JW Grand Ballroom | 9:00am - 10:00am
Much of cybersecurity work focuses on preventing attacks and protecting vulnerabilities in the system, commonly referred to "left of boom" policies. Those are important efforts and an integral part of a security managers portfolio. But what happens when the vulnerability is exposed, by a state actor or an individual, and the consequences must be managed. How do we -- as corporations, individuals and a nation -- better invest in response, recovery and resiliency efforts? In this keynote, Juliette Kayyem will offer five important steps to building a more resilient system and what we all need to do to "keep calm and carry on."
Juliette Kayyem has spent over 15 years managing complex policy initiatives and organizing government responses to major crises in both state and federal government. She is the founder of Kayyem Solutions, LLC, providing strategic advice in technology, risk management, mega-event planning and more. Currently, Kayyem serves as the Belfer Lecturer in International Security at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and is Faculty Director of the Homeland Security Project. She is an on-air security analyst for CNN and hosts a regular podcast entitled "The SCIF” for WGBH, Boston’s local NPR station.Previously, Kayyem was President Obama’s Assistant Secretary for Intergovernmental Affairs at the Department of Homeland Security. Her book, “Security Mom: An Unclassified Guide to Protecting Our Homeland and Your Home,” was published by Simon & Schuster in 2016.
Closing Keynote - Wednesday, September 27th
Cyber Warfare in 2017 - Ben Makuch, National Security Reporter, VICE News
Floor 4 - JW Grand Ballroom | 4:00pm - 5:00pm
Ben Makuch--Cyberwar host and VICE News national security reporter--will make sense of the modern, geopolitical cyberwarfare landscape dominating the headlines. From exclusive insights into the DNC hack, to insights into hacktivists like PhineasFisher and the Anonymous collective, Makuch will talk extensively about his experiences reporting from the front lines of the global cyberwar and present a clip from the new season of his show followed by a question and answer session. Ben Makuch is an award winning national security reporter with VICE News. Previously with the Canadian Press’s Parliamentary Bureau, Makuch was in contact with several homegrown Islamic State militants from Canada. That reporting caught the attention of federal counterterrorism investigators who are trying to force Makuch to hand over all source materials connected to Farah Mohamed Shirdon, an alleged ISIS fighter from Calgary. Makuch refused and is now fighting the production order in court. He faces possible jail time if he loses.Makuch is currently the correspondent for Cyberwar on the VICELAND network, an investigative documentary series examining the covert world of signals intelligence and hackers.