The latest version of the RSA Conference (RSAC) in the United States is being held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco from April 24-27, 2023.
The theme for this 2023 RSAC global event is “Stronger Together.” Here is what the conference website highlights regarding this theme:
“We are a community of many. No one goes it alone; we build on each other’s diverse knowledge to create the next breakthrough—exchanging ideas, sharing our success stories, and bravely examining our failures. With a world of evolving threats to stop and solve, only by working as a team and continually adding new perspectives will we be able to affect the kind of progress that can shape policy, establish new best practices, and ensure our defenses become more diverse, more resolute, and far more effective. When collaboration is our foundation, the future is bright. RSA Conference 2023. Stronger Together.”
You may be wondering: As cybersecurity teams from around the world head to the largest cybersecurity conference, what are the top topics, sessions, themes and trends?
I love the Public Sector Day that kicks off on Monday, where we can network with public sector leaders from across federal, state and local governments.
Also, the networking opportunities at various events, workshops, conference expo floor (showcasing vendor products) and more are unmatched.
Our Presidio team of cyber professionals is eager to hear several of the keynotes. While the entire list can be found here, some of the most anticipated talks include:
The Looming Identity Crisis
As we enter the age of AI, we’re confronted with a staggering new challenge: traditional approaches to identity are dead. This new age demands that our sector answer fundamental questions about our role and capacity to secure identity as it evolves. Join RSA CEO Rohit Ghai as he discusses these new challenges and the solutions we’ll need to avert an identity crisis.
Combatting Evolving Cyber Threats: Leading with Disruption
Cyber threats are not just a risk to the businesses they attack directly; they are increasingly a tool for autocracies and a threat to our collective security. Over the last two years, the Justice Department has pivoted in its approach to cyber threats, teaming up with partners of all stripes to prioritize near-term disruptions and victim protection. How is it working and where do we go from here?
Security as Part of Responsible AI: At Home or At Odds?
Responsible AI is thought to solely focus on mitigating bias, explainable AI and improving fairness. Should securing AI systems be seen as a Responsible AI task? If so, which organization does it fit: security or responsible AI? Bias Buccaneers, Deep Mind, NVIDIA and Microsoft discuss the complex connections between responsible AI and traditional security and the lessons learned in harmonizing them.
Cybersecurity Thinking to Reinvent Democracy
Democracy is a system: a complex nonlinear tightly coupled system of systems that’s surprisingly vulnerable to hacking, subversion and exploits of all kinds. Our community has expertise in securing complex systems. Can we apply that thinking to design of democratic systems, especially socio-technical systems in the age of increasingly pervasive data collection, ubiquitous computing, and capable AI?
Why I’m Optimistic (And You Should Be, Too)
In a world where each new technology innovation “gifts” bad actors a fresh attack landscape, it’s natural to wonder if everyone should just stock up on cyber insurance. But Lee Klarich believes cybersecurity is becoming a solvable problem (and that you should, too). Lee will discuss how new advances have changed what’s possible, and a framework that organizations can adopt to embrace what’s next.
Hacking Exposed: Next-Generation Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures
Hacking Exposed will demonstrate how adversaries have evolved their tradecraft to deploy near-undetectable intrusion techniques aimed at bypassing the cyber kill chain and defensive systems. Learn from a firsthand account of a global supply chain attack about how adversaries exploit trust across partner ecosystems, and how eCrime actors emulate nation-states to supercharge their attacks.
The Next 50 Years
Buckle up! We’ve reached warp speed with advances in science shaping revolutionary developments in AI, starships, brain-machine interfaces, and beyond. Renowned theoretical physicist and futurist Dr. Michio Kaku will provide a fun—and at times mind-blowing—glimpse into a future where Sci-Fi becomes non-fiction and…we all know kung fu.
Cybersecurity and Military Defense in an Increasingly Digital World
Cyberwar has forever changed overall warfare planning. New, innovative technology is impacting the battlefield, and pressure is on to get it into programs of record and warfighter’s hands more quickly, with assured security. Across the ecosystem, companies of all sizes—from startups to large enterprises—play an important role in working together in this new chapter of cyberwarfare, lest the adversaries succeed.
The State of Cybersecurity – Year in Review
2022 was a year of both conflict and macroeconomic pressures that fostered innovation and evolution of cyber attacks. In this keynote, Kevin Mandia will share stories from responding to hundreds of cyber intrusions in the last year. You’ll learn about attacker techniques, cyber defense tips for security operators, and how cyber security is impacting Board and executive decisions.
The Five Most Dangerous New Attack Techniques
Each year at RSA Conference, SANS provides the authoritative briefing on the most dangerous new attack techniques in use today, what’s coming next, and what organizations can do to prepare. This session gives organizations a chance to prioritize upcoming attack vectors and to get ahead of them.
Getting Ready
Even if you are not heading to San Francisco to mingle with the hundreds of vendors and thousands of cybersecurity professionals, you can follow the RSAC press releases and major vendor announcements online. This is the time of year when all of the cyber industry companies put forward their best and brightest presentations – and new companies show-off what they have to offer in vendor bake-offs and pitch battles.
Also, stay tuned to the RSAC YouTube channel, where all of the top sessions will be available in the weeks following the actual conference.
So buckle up and get ready. The world comes to talk cybersecurity next week in San Francisco, and the good, bad and ugly will be on display at the greatest cyber show on earth.
