Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2024
Each October, USNH recognizes National Cyber Security Awareness Month by offering events and resources about information protection and data security risks. ET&S is excited to announce a series of events and webinars designed to educate and engage our community on the critical importance of cybersecurity! See below for more information about the special events that happened throughout October.
Cybersecurity Awareness Month: In-Person Cybersecurity Symposium
Thank you to all who could join us for our very first in-person Cybersecurity Symposium this year. The event featured notable guest speakers including the NH Secretary of State David M. Scanlan, experts from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and the Information Sharing and Analysis Center (ISAC). Key topics included election disinformation and other critical cybersecurity issues. Please see the presentation slides below.
Webinar Wednesdays
Each Wednesday in October, we hosted live online presentations by cybersecurity professionals covering a range of topics. Please see the webinars below for the presentation slides.
Week 1 (October 2nd)
Cybersecurity Careers
- Tom Nudd, USNH Chief Information Security Officer, will discuss pathways into the growing field of cybersecurity. Whether you’re a student or a professional considering a career change, this session will provide valuable insights into the opportunities available.
The Open-Source Seas: Unleashing Innovation While Staying Afloat
- Tejpal Garhwa, a cybersecurity leader with over 20 years of experience, will explore the benefits and risks of using open-source components in software development. Learn how to harness the power of open-source while managing risks effectively.
Week 2 (October 9th)
Navigating Security Challenges in Higher Education: Protecting Data Across School and Student Devices
- Jim Rindo and James Czarnecki of Troubadour Tech will dive into the challenges colleges and universities face when trying to maintain security and data protection within internal applications on both school-issued and personal devices.
Local Admin Privileges: Risks and Alternatives
- Matthew Reed, Cybersecurity Operations Engineer, will discuss the risks associated with local administrative privileges and explore effective alternatives for enhancing security.
Week 3 (October 16th)
Social Engineering
- Lily Lee is at the helm of a global, diverse security team at Splunk, where she plays a pivotal role in supporting security teams worldwide. With over 15 years of experience working across various sectors, from education to government agencies, she's an expert at leveraging data-driven analytics to solve complex security challenges. In addition to her leadership role, Lily is a founding member of the Women in CyberSecurity Silicon Valley Affiliate. She also holds multiple professional certifications and has shared her insights at numerous industry conferences.
Phishing
- Mitch Spaulding from Abnormal Security will discuss the different kinds of phishing attempts attackers are launching on students and how students can enable best practices to prevent their accounts from being compromised.
Week 4 (October 23rd)
In-Person Cybersecurity Symposium
Week 5 (October 30th)
Cybersecurity Certifications
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Joe Gray, Director of Cyber Security Operations & Identity and Access Management, will present information on obtaining IT professional certifications to enhance one's career and / or add value to your degree.
Cybersecurity needs and threats of small businesses
- Bethany Buffon is a dedicated Cybersecurity Technical Support Analyst with over ten years of experience in operations coordination, team leadership, and technical problem-solving. Currently, she owns Hippocrates Security, securing private practices, nonprofits, and small businesses. Bethany holds a bachelor's degree in computer science from the University of Connecticut and is a lifelong learner, enhancing her skills through platforms like TryHackMe. Her additional skills include online and offline medical research, patient advocacy, and crisis management, making her a resilient and compassionate professional.
Stay tuned for more announcements, and make sure to mark your calendars for these exciting events! Let’s make Cybersecurity Awareness Month a time to learn, engage, and strengthen our defenses.
The Path to a Cybersecurity Career
October 4th|11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Tom Nudd, Chief Information Security Officer, will provide an in-depth look at careers in Cybersecurity. Participants will learn about the different career paths in IT security and the kind of degree programs and qualifications required. This is a great webinar for students and any employee trying to change careers into Cybersecurity.
Where: Register here for the Zoom Webinar.
ICS/OT Cybersecurity: Malware Threats Examined & Explained
October 5th|12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Join Dragos ICS/OT experts, Sam Hanson and Markus Mueller, as they discuss the background on major operational technology (OT) cybersecurity threats, the latest research on the PIPEDREAM malware and a PLC password cracker, and how to significantly reduce the likelihood or impact of opportunistic IT-focused events.
Where: Register here for the Zoom Webinar.
Security Challenges in Advanced Manufacturing
October 6th|11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Qiaoyan Yu, Ph.D., Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, will provide an overview of cybersecurity challenges in Advanced Manufacturing. This talk will introduce the emerging security attacks in the manufacturing environment. Selective examples will be used to demonstrate the physical attacks, which are conducted remotely or locally. Existing countermeasures will be introduced as well to address the security changes. This is a high-level introduction for audiences at all levels of the University.
Where: Register here for the Zoom Webinar.
Phishing Attacks and How to Protect Yourself
October 11th|11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Joshua Annis, Cybersecurity Operations Engineer, will provide an in-depth look at phishing attacks. This is a high-level introduction for audiences at all levels of the University.
Where: Register here for the Zoom Webinar.
Wi-Fi Security
October 12th|11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Matthew Reed, Cybersecurity Operations Engineer, will provide general information and tips on Wi-Fi Security. This is a high-level introduction for audiences at all levels of the University.
Where: Register here for the Zoom Webinar.
Splunk Boss of the SOC
October 13th|11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Splunk will offer an engaging capture the flag style security event that utilizes Splunk Enterprise in conjunction with Splunk Enterprise Security. This event is for individuals who have used Splunk and would like to utilize its capabilities to assist in threat hunting within a fun and safe virtual environment where Splunk will assist in detecting threats.
Where: This event will be conducted online via Zoom. Register here to reserve a spot!
Software Obfuscation and Reverse Engineering
October 14th|11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Dongpeng Xu, an assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science, will provide an in-depth talk about software obfuscation and reverse engineering techniques. Software obfuscation hides a specific program implementation from automated or human-assisted analysis. On the bright side, this method helps protect proprietary software; on the dark side, it also facilitates hiding malware. This talk will cover the basics of software obfuscation, its recent development, and the attacking methods to break it. This presentation will be appropriate for audiences at all levels of the university.
Where: This event will be conducted online via Zoom. Register here to reserve a spot!
Women in Hardware and Systems Security Workshop (WISE)
October 14th|8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
The WISE workshop aims to attract more women to join the field of hardware and systems security (HSS) and provide a forum for the women in HSS to support each other. The workshop program includes keynote and visionary talks, panel discussion, oral presentations, hardware demos, as well as mini-tutorials.
Where: This event will be conducted in-person. Find more WISE workshop information here or contact qiaoyan.yu@unh.edu to learn more.
Disinformation Campaigns
October 18th|11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Dr. David Yasenchock, Director of Cybersecurity Governance, Risk, and Compliance, will provide an overview of current trends with Disinformation Campaigns. This is a high-level introduction for audiences at all levels of the University.
Where: Register here for the Zoom Webinar.
See Yourself in Cyber
October 19th|11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
CISA, the Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency, will provide a presentation aligned with this year’s National Cybersecurity Awareness Month campaign theme — “See Yourself in Cyber” — which demonstrates that while cybersecurity may seem like a complex subject, ultimately, it’s really all about people. We will focus on the “people” part of cybersecurity, providing information and resources to help educate CISA partners and the public, and ensure all individuals and organizations make smart decisions whether on the job, at home or at school – now and in the future.
Where: Register here for the Zoom Webinar.
Automotive Network Security
October 20th|11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Nicholas Ilyadis, Senior Director of Product Planning at Achronix, will provide an in-depth discussion of automotive network security. The automobile industry continues to integrate more processing and communication capabilities into vehicles. In today's automobiles, 40% of the cost is electrical and electronic, amounting to a small network and data center. The automobile is evolving into a mobile data processing system in the wild, ranging from theft to data exfiltration. This talk will cover the evolution of the connected car, its use cases, threat vectors, and mitigation approaches, in addition to what further development is needed to protect the connected car in the future.
Where: Register here for the Zoom Webinar.
Personal Cybersecurity at Home
October 25th|11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
David Blezard, Senior Director of Enterprise IT Systems, will discuss personal cybersecurity and how to protect yourself at home. There are threats to finances, data, and reputation that can impact you personally. Learn about the risks and the simple steps you can take to reduce your risks of becoming a victim of cybercrime. This presentation will be appropriate for all students and staff across USNH.
Where: Register here for the Zoom Webinar.
Cybersecurity Policies in the Workplace: Expectations and Challenges
October 26th|11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Ever wonder why we have certain cybersecurity policies, or why policies may not be followed? Director of our M.S. Cybersecurity Policy & Risk Management program, Prof. Maeve Dion discusses expectations and responsibilities from both the employer and employee points of view. For students or employees wanting to better understand workplace cybersecurity, and for employers wanting to engender a positive cybersecurity culture within their organizations, this session highlights important considerations and recommendations for improvement.
Where: Register here for the Zoom Webinar.
Cybersecurity Threats and Impacts on Higher Education
October 27th|11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Cybersecurity challenges face all types of organizations. The threats we see impacting the private sector are similar to the threats that the MS-ISAC has seen impacting the Education sector. These threat actors are not only after money, personal information and organization secrets, but they are also looking to damage your organization’s reputation. While no single organization can prevent these threat actors from targeting and infiltrating your network, the resources provided at no-cost by the MS-ISAC can help mitigate these risks. Resources ranging from actionable intelligence and passive monitoring of your public information, to actively blocking malicious connections from establishing, the MS-ISAC provides no-cost resources to over 13,000 organizations across the United States. During this presentation, Elijah Cedeno and Michael Woodward will discuss the current threats impacting the Public Higher Education & K-12 Schools and discuss some of the services the MS-ISAC has to offer at no cost.
Where: Register here for the Zoom Webinar.
