I just returned from the Computer Security Institute CSI 2010 conference in National Harbor, Maryland. While there, I spoke on the topic of Logic Bombs using modern examples like Aurora and Stuxnet. This was my first time attending a CSI conference and I must honestly state, I was thoroughly impressed with the quality of the conference: great food (no box lunches), and best of all, the other speakers and sessions. Outside of the keynote speeches, the other sessions that caught my interest included details on security awareness and hacking PLC controllers.
The first presentation worth noting was a 50-minute presentation on Information Security Awareness presented by a manager from Sprint/Nextel. While everyone recognizes they should not reveal company secrets, this session covered distinct case studies in which sensitive information was lost ranging from people taking on cell phones in public to two employees chatting at the company fitness center allowing others to overhear their conversations. The common theme throughout the presentation reinforced “a need to know basis”; something the federal government practices all the time. It was a good reminder of old posters that state “Lose Lips Sink Ships” from WWII and we should be aware that data leak protection can occur both socially and electronically.
The second presentation worth mentioning was by a Principal Architect from Juniper. During her session, she demonstrated how malware can compromise a control system and the devastating events that could occur after. Her case studies were thorough citing recent examples in Stuxnet and others throughout the last decade. This presentation was directly before mine and was a perfect lead-in to my Logic Bombs presentation.
All in all, the CSI Conference was completely worth the time I attended. I look forward to speaking at it again, and attending similar conferences to explain the modern threats we all face in light of Logic Bombs and other modern security threats.
