‘Everything is hackable’: This cybersecurity expert wants to teach you how to protect your business

Cyberspace today feels a bit like the Wild West of early America. Danger is everywhere and there isn’t a sheriff to be found when you need one. The reality is grim — but it is manageable.
Zip Code Wilmington will be hosting a TechTalk on Tuesday, May 9, around cybersecurity. During the talk, I’ll introduce the concepts of cyber vulnerability and then consider possible countermeasures that you, or your company, can take.
The event is from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Theatre N.
RSVP
Here’s a preview of what I’ll cover.
On the vulnerability side, whether you realize it or not, everything is hackable. Everywhere you go in cyberspace leaves a footprint. You will learn a little bit about what makes the network so vulnerable and how it is that those factors came to be part of the network in the first instance. It turns out that most of the hazard is actually baked into the system at a technical level.  The same factors that make the network an engine for economic growth and change also fosters the growth of criminality and other malicious behavior. The network is borderless, asymmetric, anonymous, distributed and dynamic — all factors that contribute to the growth of malign activity.
Happily there’s no need to panic. If you take precautions, you can reduce the risk, though you can never eliminate it. A portion of the response needs to be coordinated at the government level — things like information sharing about threats and the development of baseline standards for cybersecurity. But much of the work needs to be done by companies and individuals who take responsibility for their own security. We will take about necessary steps — like segregated systems — that will avoid harm (and, not coincidentally, also limit your liability to the public).
See you there.