Black Hat, Dark Reading To Hold 'Future Of Security' Event On Wednesday

Dark Reading, InformationWeek, and Black Hat on Wednesday will hold a free, all-day virtual event -- Security: The Next Decade -- in which top security experts will discuss the longer-term future of online threats and defenses. The event, which features a short keynote from Black Hat founder Jeff Moss and an entertaining look into the future by sci-fi author/security expert Winn Schwartau, lets attendees use their desktops to gain access to many of the same features as a live security trade show. The virtual conference, which will take place in a series of sessions that run from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. EST on Dec. 9, is designed to give IT and security professionals a glimpse at emerging threats and longer-term cybercrime trends, as well as the defenses they can use to stop them. The event, which features a virtual convention hall, auditorium, exhibit floor, and attendee discussion lounges, will also host some of the industry's best-known security researchers, including Jeremiah Grossman, Robert Hansen, and Chris Hoff, as well as compliance expert Richard Mackey. Panels during the all-day event will include discussions on cyberwar, cybercrime, endpoint security, compliance, and cloud security. Attendees can join a single session or all of the day's events, dropping in or out with a single click. Each session is interactive and will include live questions directly from audience members. The virtual conference will also feature an exhibit floor with 16 different vendors, all offering tools and solutions for defending against emerging threats. Visitors to the virtual booths can see demos, ask questions of the vendors, and download product literature. Some vendors will also do presentations on their technologies in the virtual auditorium. In addition, the virtual convention hall provides several areas where attendees can meet and speak to each other -- anonymously if they prefer -- about security issues and challenges in their environments. The virtual chat rooms will also provide a venue for attendees to talk directly with session speakers following their presentations. To register as an attendee (and create your own personal avatar that can "walk" around the virtual convention hall), click here. There is no cost to attend. Have a comment on this story? Please click "Discuss" below. If you'd like to contact Dark Reading's editors directly, send us a message.