I have recently attended a number of information security presentations. I honestly admire a presenter’s willingness to state a position in a public construct, regardless of whether I agree or disagree with the position or contents of the presentation. I will be honest… I have seen good presentations (watch Johnny Long’s Hackers for Charity Update at Derbycon for an example), and I have seen total train wrecks. At the end of each of them, the initial reaction is the same: applause from the audience. What [...]

I was at the inaugural Hack3rcon last year, and had an absolute blast. The quality of the speakers was fantastic, and this year they are raising the bar again. Dave Kennedy (R3L1k), Martin Bos (purehate), Adrian Crenshaw (Irongeek), Keith Pachulski (Sec0ps), and Boris Sverdlik (JadedSecurity), as well as a number of other established security professionals are scheduled to speak. The price is incredibly reasonable (it is Charleston, West Virginia), and a portion of the proceeds will be going to Hackersforcharity.org. Come see what I am [...]

I am getting excited about this conference. Even though it is in its first year of existance, DerbyCon has the potential to be the premier conference East of the Mississippi River this fall. Organized by my friends Dave Kennedy (ReL1K), Martin Bos (PureHate), Adrian Crenshaw (IronGeek), and Nick Hitchcock (nick8ch), the event has lined up some of the industry’s best and brightest. For a full list, check their speaker page. The event will feature some intense training opportunities at a very reasonable rate by some [...]

If you are planning on attending DefCon 19 or BlackHat USA this year, you owe yourself a favor to attend one of the best grassroots conference series out there. BSides Las Vegas is about maintaining the intimacy and informal nature of Information Security. This year is special in my heart, as the team of Jack Daniel, Gal Shpantzer, Stacy Thayer, Josh Corman, Martin McKeay, and I are facilitating a security panel about job related stress and career burnout. We are seeking feedback from Information Security [...]

  Dennis Kuntz and Matt Jezorek are putting together an informal event associated with the Security BSides.  True to the mission, this event is a grass-roots effort to foster communication amongst security professionals.  Call for presentations are being accepted until February 20th, and the event will be held at Natty Greene’s Loft.  Cost is FREE, and registration can be found at the following link:  http://bsidesgso.eventbrite.com/.  Practice that flu cough, and join these guys (and girls presumably) and discover the next big thing!

Technology has completely permeated our society. As a consequence, digital evidence now permeates criminal and civil litigation. The legal community struggles to keep pace with this flood of technology and to adequately understand the nuances of digital evidence. To serve the public good, practitioners in a variety of disciplines must cooperate and keep current when it comes to technology and the law. The Appalachian Institute of Digital Evidence is a regional not-for-profit organization dedicated to serving the legal, technical, public sector, and business professionals for [...]