After a busy week at the ExCel centre in London, our newest Account Manager, Aga Kasprzyk and Senior PR Executive, Ameesha Patel, reflect on their highlights from Infosecurity Europe Day 1.
Will AI Open a Backdoor?
Ameesha Patel – Senior PR Executive
With last year’s train strikes impacting the footfall at ExCel in East London (now serviced by the amazingly efficient Elizabeth line), this year’s Infosecurity Europe was flooded with businesses from across the sector battling for the spotlight. It’s true what they say – the world of security never sleeps!
Away from the bright lights of the conference floor, the speaker programme covered some fascinating topics. From democratising API security and future-proofing a business, to the playbook on providing cybersecurity during major sporting events; there was a lot of information to absorb. But one session from Egress Software Technologies that particularly caught my attention – and also dominated conversations – was ‘Will AI Open a Backdoor to Your Organisation that Attackers Can Use?’
And, the man of the hour, VP of Threat Intelligence at Egress, Jack Chapman, ensured it was a session not to be missed.
The session was packed with attendees eager to learn not only how Egress stops advanced phishing attacks and data loss, but also the vital role of securing AI in intelligent solutions and how CISOs can implement robust measures to protect their organisations while deriving maximum ROI. The challenge for companies isn’t necessarily how to approach new threats, but rather the sophisticated and novel delivery methods of these attacks. Threat actors are using embedded AI technologies to breach organisations and poison data to hide attacks, ultimately leaving them more exposed despite feeling protected.
Jack went on to discuss AI for security and security for AI and its considerations for a robust model (no reliance on static rules), attacker evolutions, data bias (the importance of the human feedback loop for AI training) and input/out. He recognises that organisations can use AI to identify threats humans might miss but warns “AI is not a silver bullet… CISOs should regularly check their estates to detect for threats as the landscape evolves”.
My experience at InfoSec Europe once again highlighted the need for constant evaluation and security awareness training alongside investments in cybersecurity tools. Ultimately, don’t miss the “real-time teachable moments.”
One nugget of wisdom to leave you with is, in the words of Jack: “we don’t all need to be considered experts but the best thing to do is to continue asking important questions.”
Startup Showcase
Aga Kasprzyk – Account Manager
The last couple of days have been a fascinating whirlwind for the C8 Team. We attended Infosecurity Europe 2023 at the ExCel, my first tech event of the year with C8. I couldn’t have wished for a better experience – after all, it is the biggest cybersecurity event in Europe. It provided the opportunity for our team to learn from industry specialists about the power of AI, cyber resilience, the importance of collaboration in cyber, real-life examples of ransomware and data breaches, and many more.
The buzz in the venue was contagious! We met a diverse array of vendors and discussed their specialisms, supported clients on the ground with media enquiries, and hosted press briefings with journalists and analysts.
One of the sessions that I attended was ‘’The Cyber Security Landscape: a 360-degree View of Start-Ups’’ which was led by Saj Huq, Chief Commercial Officer and Director of Innovation Services at Plexal. He positioned the potential for the cyber industry to take a lead in the current world. Saj also touched on the key trends that we can observe such as macroeconomy (rising inflation), conflict in Ukraine and its continuing threat to nations, the rise of cybercrime and associated global threats, as well as the impact of developing technology.
The population has seen a general shift, especially in technology that has transformed us since the start of COVID restrictions. Everybody started using Zoom or Teams overnight. People have moved to a hybrid or remote model of working, which is here to stay for the long term. With this in mind, Saj goes on to discuss how technology is ever-evolving, which affects how humans interact with it. We are digitally connected: everything is linked and speaks to each other.
He also covered the subject of automation from a security perspective, discussing its potential to harm organisations. It is definitely an exciting time in technology, and we hope to see more breakthroughs from innovators in the space. As the life lesson goes; it takes ages to create success, but when it happens, it happens very fast.
We work with lots of security companies to project their voices above the noise of the industry. Find out more about our cybersecurity PR expertise here and do get in touch for a chat.