Houston Cybersecurity Conference

The global threat landscape is rapidly changing as cybersecurity threats evolve into more sophisticated forms. The proliferation of ransomware groups, the complexity of cloud infrastructure, and the growth in online applications provide more opportunities for criminals than ever. Coupled with the rise of remote work due to the pandemic, information stealing, and social engineering attacks have become more prevalent. Governments and organizations worldwide are heightening their defenses, while some nations are exploring the contentious domain of offensive cyber forces.

The surge in cyberattacks in 2022 can be linked to geopolitical tensions, escalating patriotic hacktivist operations, increased state-sponsored cyber espionage activities, and the global shift to digitalization. However, a new threat landscape emerged in 2023 – religiously and politically motivated hacktivist groups disrupted organizations around the globe through a surge in Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks. As their influence expands, it poses a potential threat of being co-opted as a proxy for state-controlled cyber activities.

This presentation delves into the shifting cyber threat landscape, the rise of hacktivism, and its implications on global cybersecurity strategies. It further investigates the likelihood of nation-states exploiting hacktivism as a cyber weapon and the possible onset of a new digital cold war.

The principles laid out by Sun Tzu in his Art of War have transcended time and directly apply to the realm of cybersecurity. Join us with your fellow CIOs as we explore Sun Tzu’s teachings and their impact on today’s digital battleground. Through examples and case studies, we delve into how his strategies inform our cybersecurity defense and offense tactics, equipping us with the knowledge to stay one step ahead of cyber adversaries. Prepare to be inspired and enlightened by the wisdom of a military strategist and its contemporary applications in the ever-evolving cyber landscape.

Specialized threats targeting OT environments have been around since at least 2010, with the reports of Stuxnet. Recognizing the criticality of these devices, Threat Actors have continued evolving, continuing to target OT devices, many of which are inherently insecure-by-design. Research, such as Vedere Labs’ OT:ICEFALL research project and Project Basecamp by Digital Bond from 10 years ago showed how significant the scope of vulnerable devices are that are pervasive in critical infrastructure systems. Today’s SOC needs to not only see those devices and the risks they pose while also ensuring accurate detection of the threats uniquely targeting those OT environments they’re deployed in. This session will explore this unique threat landscape and the capabilities required to combat the threats and automatically mitigate the risks specially targeting Operational Technology environments.