The Arditti Center for Risk Management at DePaul University combined efforts with the Driehaus College of Business, College of Law and College of Computing and Digital Media to host the virtual, three day 7th Annual Cyber Risk Conference, December 1-3, 2020.
The Covid-19 pandemic’s impact and abrupt transition to remote work has amplified the need to monitor and prevent cyber risk. Distinguished speakers addressed related topics such as: emerging threats, privacy issues, technical shields, insurance coverage options, and strategies to protect organizations during a transition from a traditional office to a virtual world.
Speakers included a diverse set of experts ranging from chief information security officers, lawyers, and risk managers involved in the cybersecurity industry.
“The COVID-19 pandemic forced organizations of all kinds to abruptly shift almost all employees and functions online. This conference illuminates the impact of this shift on the risk of cyber attacks and potential responses to this new risk environment. Our lineup of speakers includes recognized experts in information security, cyber crime, incident response, cyber insurance, legal issues, and risk management”, said Cynthia Edwalds, executive director of the Arditti Center for Risk Management.
The first day of the conference focused on the abrupt transition to remote work and the approaches taken by various CISO’s in helping their organizations go virtual, and included distinguished guest speaker, Arlan McMillan, CSO of Kirkland & Ellis, LLP. With over 25 years of experience in information technology and security, Arlan has led a number of teams developing and delivering security services for top organizations including United Airlines, the City of Chicago and ABN Amro Bank.
The second day of the conference included discussions around legal and insurance issues arising from cybersecurity threats, with distinguished speaker Orin Kerr, University of California Berkeley Law School, who specializes in criminal procedure and computer crime law. Kerr has also taught courses in criminal law, evidence, and professional responsibility. Professor Kerr has written more than 60 law review articles, over 40 of which have been cited in judicial opinions (including seven articles that have been cited in the U.S. Supreme Court opinions). His scholarship also has been cited by more than 3,000 academic articles.
The final day of the conference included a tabletop exercise designed to help attendees understand the process of taking an organization “virtual” and the accompanying challenges, and featured distinguished speaker Dr. Kall Loper from Protiviti. Dr. Loper has been a practicing professional and researcher in Digital Forensics and Incident Response (DFIR) since 1997. Dr. Loper has authored books, presentations, and articles on DFIR including co-authoring Electronic Crime Scene Investigation: A Guide for First Responders, second edition, distributed by the United States Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security.
Overall, this year’s Annual Cyber Risk Conference was a great success and provided attendees with a holistic perspective on the world of cybersecurity and the importance of having the appropriate business, legal and technological infrastructure in place in a quarantined world.
By Damita Menezes and Zee Kerani