Gabelli School of Business and Federal Bureau of Investigation Host 11th International Conference on Cyber Security

From July 14–16, the Gabelli School of Business and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) hosted the 11th International Conference on Cyber Security (ICCS), on Fordham’s Lincoln Center campus. The Conference, which attracted more than 300 attendees, offered an insider’s view of the current cyber security landscape—new and emerging threats, escalating global risk, and the need to protect companies and organizations from attacks that can lead to financial ruin, catastrophic disruption of critical services, and life-threatening breaches of security.

A roster of renowned industry experts, government officials, and law enforcement agents dove deep into topics that are more relevant now than ever before—from ransomware attacks and radicalization on the Dark Web to defending against deepfakes and bridging the gap between cyber security and AI.

The Conference kicked off with two workshops on the afternoon of July 14—the Law Enforcement Workshop, which featured presentations by several FBI agents, and the Gabelli School of Business Cyber Security Workshop titled “AI & Cyber Security, Threats, Opportunities, and Securing the Future,” which featured Thaier Hayajneh, Ph.D., University professor and director of the Fordham Center for Cyber Security and AI; Yilu Zhou, Ph.D., associate professor and area chair, Information, Technology, and Operations, Gabelli School of Business; and Maria Chano, AI and cyber security strategist.

Day 2, July 15, featured enlightening addresses by senior-ranking FBI officials, panel discussions, and fireside chats. Lerzan Aksoy, Ph.D., dean and George N. Jean, Ph.D. Chair, Gabelli School of Business, and Barbara Porco, Ph.D. associate dean of graduate studies, delivered the conference introduction and welcome remarks. They were followed by the opening ceremony, which featured Amit Kachhia-Patel, assistant special agent in charge (ASAC), FBI, New York Office, Cyber Branch; and Christopher Raia, assistant director in charge (ADIC), FBI, New York, who talked about emerging threats here in the U.S. and abroad, and focused on the FBI’s efforts to identify and thwart these plots.

The duo was followed by B. Chad Yarbrough, operations director, Criminal and Cyber Division, FBI, who delivered the keynote address and stressed the fact that ransomware attacks are on the rise and that the FBI is working with its international partners to defeat this scourge by hitting cybercriminals where it hurts—in their wallets.

The balance of the day focused across a wide range of topics. A panel titled “Typhoons – Volt, Flax, Salt, and Silk,” explored increasing threats and the move by cybercriminals and disrupters from concentrating on stealing intellectual property to infiltrating critical infrastructure. A fascinating fireside chat featured Matthew Knight, V.P. of security products at OpenAI, who discussed training AI models, the ability for AI to identify bugs and fix them, and the importance of continuously investing in developing and measuring these capabilities. Many other deeply informative dialogues also occurred, shedding light on the enormous number of cyber threats and the ways in which the business community and government agencies could work together to prevent them.

Day 3, July 16, began with a look at the complexities, liabilities, and incredible opportunities that quantum computing offers as related to both cyber security and cyber threats. This panel kicked off a day of discussions across the spectrum—from the rise in international cyberattacks by remote workers to the differences between AI and cyber security regulation in the United States and in Europe to the shifting dynamics in the prosecution of cyberattacks.

A morning panel titled: International Attacks: North Korean (DPRK) Remote IT Workers Fraud/Insider Threat and Beyond,” which was moderated by Peter Marta, a partner at Goodwin Procter, LLP, focused on the evolving threat posed by North Korean (DPRK) remote IT workers. Surprisingly, they are often successful at masquerading as legitimate freelancers or employees, posing enormous risks to U.S. and global companies alike. It was pointed out that, while this particular discussion focused on North Korea, the problem is actually much larger due to the pervasiveness of remote work.

Before lunch, attendees participated in two short rounds of parallel sessions that covered everything from “Defending Against Deepfakes” and “Threat Actor Engagement” to “China’s Cyber Ecosystem” and “Next-Generation IoT Security.”

During afternoon sessions, Fordham University Trustee Edward Stroz, co-founder, Consilience 360, interviewed Lisa Black, former chief deputy county executive, Suffolk County, New York, regarding her response to a catastrophic ransomware attack she experience while serving in office.

A panel titled “Next Generation Cyber Threats and Challenges,” discussed the diverse types of attacks facing organizations today and the multifaceted challenges including navigating complex technical hurdles such as securing increasingly distributed and interconnected systems, developing resilient defenses against AI-driven malware, and addressing the vulnerabilities introduced by emerging technologies such as IoT and 5G.

The event was a smashing success, providing a truly informative three days of content. Many thanks to Barbara Porco and the ICCS advisory council and planning committee for making this highly informative conference possible.