South Africa Draws Sharp Lines When It Comes to Information Sharing

Sharing information about attacks and vulnerabilities between strategic foreign allies is nothing new. The Allies did share intel in both World Wars. Countries in the West shared it during the Cold War.

Information sharing saves money, time and, most importantly, lives.

ITWeb Security Summit 2016 held in VodaWorld, Midrand, offered a broad range of topics for security professionals this year.

Analysts, experts and representatives from some of the biggest tech companies around the globe shared the latest security wisdom as it pertains to management, best practices, technical advances, and defense.

Information Sharing

One topic of particular interest this year has been "cyber" defense and the role of information sharing across sovereign borders. The intelligence community has always relied heavily on findings from foreign partners to fight terror and crime. The problem with cybercrime and cyber warfare is that, although perpetrators attack entities and people who live within clear geopolitical boundary lines, boundaries that exist within the cyber realm are blurred.

The Internet is fluid. And, in one sense the Internet’s far more Business driven than it’s ever been Governmental—at least in the west. 

And, one very annoying fact about Government—as it pertains to adoption of new technology—is its notoriously slow rate of adoption. 

Only with incidents like the February 2016 hack of the Internal Revenue Service in the United States, where a hacker gained access to 464K accounts in an attempt to steal refund money, does a government feel pressured to jump in.

The United States definitely is not alone.

The Rule of Cyber Law within South Africa

In her recent article, Law Needs to Catch Up with Cyber Crime, Regina Pazvokarambwa cited gaps in legislation due to failure to keep up with new technologies.

Critics within South Africa can point to a reluctance to share information at least in part due the slowness of lawmakers in passing proper cyber crime legislation. Failure to convict often has led to an upsurge in incidences of cybercrime.

It’s an epidemic. 

Dave Loxton, attorney at ENS Africa, and one of the breakout session presenters at the ITWeb Security Summit, believes a greater sense of urgency among legislators will get proposed bills through the system faster.

“The damage from crime syndicates in South Africa alone,” says David Loxton, “could cost $1 billion a year by 2019.” Steve Morgan, Founder and CEO of Cybersecurity Ventures, and Editor-in-Chief of the Cybersecurity Market Report projects a $2 trillion price tag by 2019.

If that’s not enough incentive for information sharing, what is?

The Government and the Private Sector—Working Together

One area where defense and the private community are making headway is Aerospace. Rand Corporation released the results of a recent study: Facilitating Information Sharing Across the International Space Community.

As in space exploration, there are benefits to joining forces with likeminded partners.

Understandably, when rivalries exist between groups competing for the same business, sharing will be at a minimum. But when there’s an advantage for all parties, then, common sense dictates that sharing of pertinent information is the best course—especially when fighting cybercrime and cyber attacks.

Future Woes Averted

Gartner estimates 20 billion devices will connect to the Internet by 2020. Today we’re at a mere 6.4 billion. This increased potential for attack-and-hack keeps some law enforcement agencies up a night.

Now’s certainly the time for legislators to spring into action.

Hacking Training from Two of the Industry's Best at the ITWeb Security Summit 2016

Every day Telspace Systems hears back from past graduates about how Ethical Hacking Training helps them do their job.

Hacking takes IT security from the passive—sitting duck—posture, and moves it to the dynamic—scout those bad boys and take them down—posture.

A cloud looms on the IT security horizon.

As the IoT moves to center stage, and tens of billions of devices go live, ethical hacking will become critical. Every piece of technology we attach to the Internet becomes an opportunity for criminals to attack.

Telspace Systems brings two of our top analysts to ITWeb to reveal the pitfalls of OFF THE SHELF devices.

Reino Mostert, Senior Security Analyst, Telspace Systems. Reino comes to Telspace Sytems from the telecommunications industry.

Robert Len, Senior Security Analyst, Telspace Systems. Robert has worked in both IT Data Security and Financial Payments, and brings a uniquely relevant understanding to this session.

Summit Conference Track 2 Presentation

Tuesday, May 17^th, at 13:45: Off the Shelf, Track 2:

Scenario:

You walk into a local store and grab a new ADSL router to connect to the Internet. While you're there, you pick up a new NAS with encryption features. Everything should be secure, right? No.

From children's toys to corporate physical security systems, off-the-shelf devices have proven to have widely known vulnerabilities.

This presentation discusses in-depth off-the-shelf device vulnerabilities. We’ll touch on the politics within the security community, and demonstrate the problems of some of the commonly used South African devices.

·        How can you secure IoT and off-the-shelf devices?

·        What are the risks?

·        How much trust should you put in your storage device's encryption?

·        Can someone break into your ADSL/VDSL/LTE device? If so, how easy is it?

To get the answers to these questions and see some exciting demos, make sure you attend this talk!

Hands On Hacking Training

Thursday and Friday, May 19^th 2016 and 20^th 2016, ITWeb Security Summit 2016 concludes with two unique hands-on training courses. Each training will last two days.

1. Wireless Hacking 101

Security Analyst, Richard Hocking will present.  This course focuses on wireless infrastructure and systems, and equips the student to perform application assessments against wireless devices. Details can be found here: http://www.itweb.co.za/event/itweb/security-summit-2016/?page=training1

2. Ethical Hacking 101

Senior Security Analyst, Reino Mostert will present. This course will introduce students into the heart of networks and systems and show them the offensive side of information security. Details can be found here: http://www.itweb.co.za/event/itweb/security-summit-2016/?page=training2 ]

We look forward to seeing you at ITWeb. Stop by and see us at the Telspace Systems exhibit, Booth 1, on the Expo Floor during the first 2 days.

Telspace Systems at the ITWeb Security Summit in Midrand, Johannesburg May 16-20 2016

Telspace Systems is excited to join Vodacom, VMware, Microsoft, XON and other business leaders for the ITWeb Security Summit 2016 - the definitive event for IT security professionals. The 5-day Summit begins Monday, May 16, at the Vodacom World in Midrand, South Africa.

Company Founder and CEO, Dino Covotsos, Security Analysts, Reino Mostert and Robert Len, will be speaking at the event on Day 1. Other members of the Telspace Systems team will be present at exhibition booth #1.

Monday, May 16^th

The event begins with a workshop to discuss security challenges facing government, law enforcement and private entities.

Tuesday and Wednesday, May 17^th and 18^th

The event continues with a conference and expo. Telspace Systems will exhibit just inside the door(to the left) of the expo in booth 1. Drop by for a visit.

We’re also excited to announce our Africa Tikkun charity initiative. Telspace is gifting FREE T-Shirts to the first 200 people who drop off a signed Telspace Systems coupon from their ITWeb event guide booklets.

If you wear our T-shirt during the conference days, then Telspace will donate R35 (per tshirt worn) to sponsor a child for one year.

Thursday and Friday, May 19^th and 20^th

The event concludes with 2-days of hands-on training. Two top Telspace Systems Security analysts will present the following courses:

1. Wireless Hacking 101

Security Analyst, Richard Hocking will present.  This course focuses on wireless infrastructure and systems, and will equip each student to perform application assessments against Web apps.

2. Ethical Hacking 101

Senior Security Analyst, Reino Mostert will present. This course will introduce students into the heart of networks and systems and show them the offensive side of information security.

The ITWeb Security Summit is a great opportunity to network with peers, learn the latest technologies and practices, set some vision for the near future, and have fun. 

The ITWeb Security Summit 2016 starts this Monday. Check back in with our blog to hear our take on highlights.