Matt's Favorites: Cybersecurity At Automation Alley Monday, Getting SWATted, Why The Higgs Boson Matters, And Much More
SOUTHFIELD -- Hey, if you care about cybersecurity and mitigating risks to your data, you might want to mosy on over to Automation Alley this afternoon for a really cool conference. And did I mention I'm moderating?
"Cybersecurity and Industrial Espionage: Assessing Your Global Risks and Threats" runs from noon to 4 p.m. at Automation Alley, 2675 Bellingham in Troy.
Guest speakers include Special Agents Thomas Rankin and Chris Bartolo of the FBI. U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, will keynote the event. Rep. Rogers is a nationally renowned expert on cybersecurity issues. In addition, the conference will feature case studies from companies whose networks have been breached. Company executives will discuss what safeguards were implemented to mitigate future risks of espionage.
High Bit Security COO Adam Goslin will speak on "Identifying Vulnerabilities: Role of IT Security Testing and Compliance," designed to give attendees solutions for vulnerability identification and breach prevention.
And now the rest of the tech world...
* Oh, the joys of being a cybersecurity columnist. You get DoSsed, and then you get SWATted. (The former is Denial of Service attack on your Web site, the latter is when someone spoofs a belligerent 911 call making it look like it came from your home, so the SWAT team shows up at your door.)
* Cue the "Ocean's Eleven" music: A high-tech scam that used a casino's own closed circuit TV cameras against it in poker pays off $32 million.
* Here's why the Higgs boson matters, in case you were wondering.
* And weird is always good, so here's a look at the most offbeat tech stories of last week from CBS News.
* If this is right, there may be literally billions of Earth-like worlds out there.
* Here are more image treasures from the Hubble Space Telescope.
* The Obama administration told Congress last week that attacks by computer are a bigger threat to Americans than terrorism. American firms spent more than $10 billion last year on cybersecurity. But as attacks continue, the private sector is now looking for more help from the government in defending key systems and critical infrastructure -- something most private companies really can't do on their own.
* A Soyuz space capsule carrying an American astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts has landed on the steppes of Kazakhstan Saturday, returning the three men to Earth after a 144-day mission to the International Space Station. The return was delayed a day by bad weather.
* A lawyer for a Reuters editor accused of conspiring with hackers to deface a Los Angeles Times story says the journalist didn't commit the crimes he's accused of. But even assuming that he did, attorney Jay Leiderman said Friday that it was an Internet prank, and that shouldn't land anyone in prison for 25 years. "No one was hurt, there were no lasting injuries, no one's identify was stolen, lives weren't ruined," said Leiderman. "It was a joke, and I guess a joke will get you 25 years in prison."
* Scientists are now planning to 'Jurassic Park' the passenger pigeon back from extinction.
* And here's testimony to the power of psychology: So-called 'windfarm illness' is much more common around windfarms targeted by anti-windfarm groups alleging that there is such a thing called windfarm illness, according to a new study.
* Walgreen's is planning its first self-powered retail store. Good for them!
* Japan's Panasonic Corp. is considering selling its healthcare business to raise cash as the consumer electronics maker fights to end losses with flat-panel televisions, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Sunday.
* A new technique could help keep dust off of solar cells, a major obstacle that reduces the efficiency of photovoltaic panels.
* And look at your mortality this way: Today's omnipresent electronic media and video means that we'll all have virtual immortality.
* The Obama Administration has put forth a proposal to collect $2 billion over the next 10 years from revenues generated by oil and gas development to fund scientific research into clean energy technologies. The administration hopes the research would help protect American families from spikes in gas prices and allow us to run our cars and trucks on electricity or homegrown fuels.
* Star Wars Dept.: The Pentagon will spend $1 billion to deploy additional ballistic missile interceptors along the Pacific Coast to counter the growing reach of North Korea's weapons, a decision accelerated by Pyongyang's recent belligerence and indications that Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, is resisting China's efforts to restrain him.
