RSA Conference 2008: National Cyber Security Alliance to Highlight Role of Consumer Education in Beating Botnets

Media Contacts:

Porter Novelli for National Cyber Security Alliance
Melissa Smolensky
(512) 241-2232
Melissa.smolensky@porternovelli.com

April 1, 2008 – The National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) today announced that its executive director, Ron Teixeira, will moderate a panel “Protecting the Homeland: How to Win the Botnet Battle” at RSA Conference 2008, April 7-11 in San Francisco. The panel is part of the first ever consumer education track at the RSA Conference, which NCSA is sponsoring as part of its ongoing efforts to highlight industry’s role in consumer education and awareness efforts.

“We chose to make botnets a focal point of our participation in the RSA Conference this year because they underscore the connection between consumer security practices and the ongoing effort to secure our national critical infrastructure. Botnets are comprised mostly of consumers’ computers and are increasingly being used to perpetrate costly, and potentially dangerous, cyber attacks on our nation’s infrastructure,” said Teixeira. “It is essential that industry, government and consumers work together to address the botnet risk and we look forward to discussing collaborative solutions at this premiere industry conference.”

WHAT: Protecting the Homeland: How to Win the Botnet Battle?
The future of cyber warfare is changing: botnets are emerging as the weapon of choice and being used to conduct widespread attacks on the country's communication networks. Most botnets are made up of consumers' computers. This panel will explore whether or not education is the best way to get consumers to secure their computers, or if a technological solution is the way to resolve the issue.

WHO:
Moderator: Ron Teixeira, Executive Director, NCSA
Panelists: Matthew W. Fine, Supervisory Special Agent, Federal Bureau of Investigation
Jordana Siegel, Deputy Director (Acting), Outreach and Awareness National Cyber Security Division, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Joseph Telafici, Vice President of Security Research, McAfee
Ira Winkler, President and CEO, Internet Security Advisors Group

WHEN: Tuesday, April 8, 2008 at 4:10 p.m. PT

WHERE: RSA Conference 2008, Moscone Center, San Francisco, Calif.

About National Cyber Security Alliance
The National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) is a collaborative effort among experts in the security, non-profit, academic and government fields to teach consumers, small businesses and members of the education community about Internet security. The NCSA aims to increase awareness about the risks associated with using Internet technologies and how to help protect against them, while also providing free tips, checklists and best practices for remaining safe while online. For more information, visit www.staysafeonline.org.

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