The Language of Security - Sharing Knowledge without Spreading FUD

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DDOS. Ransomware. Certificate Authorities. Honeypots. Malware. Breaches. Privacy. Common words to us, within the circles of security and technology. This talk will illustrate how language is used by security professionals and how it can be used to empower, alarm, and alienate - how it can spur action or create paralysis.

DDOS. Ransomware. Certificate Authorities. Honeypots. Malware. Breaches. Privacy. Common words to us, within the circles of security and technology. However, for general users, these words and many others we use are heard as “blah blah blah”- geek speak, outright confusing, or scary words. Salting the hash makes most people think of sodium-laden breakfast food. Many of the words we use to explain what is or what might be, such as, threat actor and dark web, enlist fear in many non-technical people. This talk will illustrate how language is used by security professionals and how it can be used to empower, alarm, and alienate - how it can spur action or create paralysis. Attendees will leave with a greater awareness of how the words used in our industry affects the response, desired or not, of those around them. They will experience through examples and be offered techniques on how simple adjustments in language can make the conversation around security more protective.

About the Speakers

Kelley Misata, PhD

Dr. Kelley Misata, is a strategic leader and speaker who combines over 15 years in business leadership roles with a passion for facilitating critical conversations around responsible digital citizenship, digital safety, privacy, and freedom of speech online. Today, she is expanding her groundbreaking dissertation research in the information of non-profits workings with victims of violence into a new nonprofit venture, Sightline Security. Her current role as the Executive Director of The Open Information Security Foundation and past role as Communications Director at The Tor Project allows Kelley to spotlight her expertise in fundraising, advocacy, policy discussions, marketing, training, and outreach activities with an array of stakeholders. Kelley combines professional and research endeavors with a unique perspective as a survivor of cyberstalking. She continually draws on current trends and conversations in information security and privacy to create strategies that intersect people, process, and technology. Bringing to the table a fearless and unique perspective on privacy and security drives Kelley’s successes in her professional and academic endeavors. Kelley holds a Ph.D. in Information Security from Purdue University specializing in the information security of organizations working with victims of violence, a Masters Degree in Business Administration and Marketing, and Bachelor of Science in Marketing.

Diana Kelley

Diana is the Cybersecurity Field CTO for Microsoft and a cybersecurity thought leader, practitioner, executive advisor and author. She was the Global Executive Security Advisor at IBM Security where she built and managed the IBM Security Research Community Newsroom process and was a regular contributor to IBM X-Force research. She leverages her 25+ years of cyber risk and security experience to provide advice and guidance to CSOs, CIOs and CISOs at some of the world’s largest companies. She is a faculty member with IANS Research, an Industry Mentor at the CyberSecurity Factory and a guest lecturer at Boston College’s Master of Science in Cybersecurity program. She was an IEEE “Rock Star of Risk” in 2016, speaks frequently at major conferences and co-authored the book Cryptographic Libraries for Developers.