Virus Bulletin announces 'Small Talks' for VB2015

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Jun 17, 2015

Smaller, more informal format ideal for discussion and debate.

When, a few months ago, we announced the programme for VB2015, we promised 'a number of added extras'. We have already announced student tickets, which should allow those in full-time education to attend the conference at a significantly reduced price.

Today, we are pleased to announce the first four of a number of 'Small Talks' that will take place during the conference.

The Small Talks will run in parallel with the two main streams, but will be longer sessions (one to one-and-a-half hours) and take place in a smaller room. This will allow for a more informal set-up that should be conducive to discussion on a number of topics that are both important and relevant for the security community.

While the talks on the regular programme have been selected from submissions made in response to a call for papers (don't forget we'll issue a call for last-minute papers in July/August!), for the Small Talks we have approached a number of individuals and organisations and invited them to set up such sessions.

• Claudio Guarnieri (also known as 'nex', or by his Twitter handle @botherder) will present a talk on 'Helping the Helpless: Targeted Threats to Civil Society', in which he will look at targeted attacks against activists, many of whom live under regimes that don't appear to care too much about human rights and civil liberties.

• Claus Croman Houmann will present a Small Talk about and on behalf of I Am The Cavalry, 'a global grassroots organization that is focused on issues where computer security intersects public safety and human life'. Medical device security and car hacking are hot topics at the moment and not just because of the coolness factor: their (in)security could affect lives. I Am The Cavalry's mission is to ensure such technologies 'are worthy of our trust'.

• ESET researchers Lysa Myers and Stephen Cobb will look at two important and related issues affecting the security industry: the shortage of personnel and the lack of diversity among security professionals. Lysa and Stephen will look at question such as: how does our current situation compare with the past? And what can (or should) we do to change things?

• We have also reserved the Small Talk room on Friday morning for a one-hour session of 'Lightning Talks': five-minute talks which attending students can use to show what they are working on. Who knows, perhaps they might provide the answer to a very small part of the personnel problem!

We will be announcing more Small Talks in the next few weeks, as well as some other extras. And don't forget that you get a 10% Early Bird discount if you register for the conference before 30 June.

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