Black Hat USA 2018 Conference Focuses on Cyber Threats and Unique Solutions

By James Lint
Senior Editor for InCyberDefense and Contributor, In Homeland Security

Concern about cyberattacks and the actions of Chinese and Russian hackers is nearly universal.  What can we do and what should we do? The answer: We should study and learn from those attacks to better protect our own networks and users.

The Black Hat USA 2018 Conference is the world’s leading information security event, now taking place through August 9 in Las Vegas. Attendees are learning about the latest in cyber research, development and trends.

Many solution-building companies are represented at the show and a large force of senior executives are available to answer questions. The topics discussed at this conference include new research into cyber attacks and solutions that attendees can take back to their organizations for implementation.

Silverfort CEO Emphasizes Need to Improve Multi-Factor Authentication

Hed Kovetz, co-founder & CEO of Silverfort, spoke about the recent Reddit security breach. “Implementing multi-factor authentication (MFA) on servers and applications is currently a difficult and resource-consuming task,” he said.

Many servers and applications continue to rely on basic authentication methods such as passwords or legacy MFA that were implemented in the past. These older methods are still in use, but are vulnerable to hackers.

This is the case with Short Message Service-based MFA, which was proven unsafe because the SMS message can easily be intercepted by attackers along with the one-time code. Mobile MFA apps are much more secure because they communicate with Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocols.

While Kovetz’s presentation was a timely reminder of the need to improve multi-factor authentication, it is also a reminder that hackers and nation-states will continue to innovate and evolve their cyberattack capabilities and patterns.

Black Hat USA 2018 Conference Features International and Domestic Speakers

Other speakers that will be featured at the Black Hat USA 2018 conference include:

• Bryson Bort, founder and CEO of Scythe and GRIMM, an automated breach and attack simulation platform
• Sergio Caltagirone, NSA’s former Director of Threat Intelligence, Industrial Cyber Threats and Intelligence
• Reid Wightman, Vulnerability Analyst and Former CSO IOActive
• Chris Day, Chief Cybersecurity Officer and General Manager, Threat Analytics Secure Infrastructure Co.
• Jim Reavis, CEO and founder, Cloud Security Alliance

Black Hat USA 2018 also features technical and relevant information security briefings with timely information presented by industry leaders. These briefings provide up-to-date information on situations that have evolved over the past year.

About the Author

James R. Lint retired as the (GG-15) civilian director for intelligence and security, G2, U.S. Army Communications Electronics Command. James has been involved in cyberespionage events from just after the turn of the century in Korea supporting 1st Signal Brigade to the DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis as the first government cyber intelligence analyst. He has 38 years of experience in military intelligence with the U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Army, government contracting and civil service.

Additionally, James started the Lint Center for National Security Studies, a nonprofit charity that recently awarded its 51st scholarship for national security students and professionals. James was also elected as the 2015 national vice president for the Military Intelligence Corps Association. He has also served in the Department of Energy’s S&S Security Office after his active military career in the Marine Corps for seven years and 14 years in the Army. His military assignments include South Korea, Germany and Cuba, in addition to numerous CONUS locations. In 2017, he was appointed to the position of Adjutant for The American Legion, China Post 1. James has authored a book published in 2013, “Leadership and Management Lessons Learned,” a book published in 2016 “8 Eyes on Korea, A Travel Perspective of Seoul, Korea,” and a new book in 2017 “Secrets to Getting a Federal Government Job.”