This week, I hosted the seventeenth Workshop on Security and Human Behavior at the Harvard Kennedy School. This is the first workshop since our co-founder, Ross Anderson, died unexpectedly.

SHB is a small, annual, invitational workshop of people studying various aspects of the human side of security. The fifty or so attendees include psychologists, economists, computer security researchers, criminologists, sociologists, political scientists, designers, lawyers, philosophers, anthropologists, geographers, neuroscientists, business school professors, and a smattering of others. It’s not just an interdisciplinary event; most of the people here are individually interdisciplinary...

The post Security and Human Behavior (SHB) 2024 appeared first on Security Boulevard.

The Take Command Summit is officially in the books. It was a day-long virtual powerhouse of major voices and ultra-relevant topics from across the entire cybersecurity spectrum. We are super proud of the event and grateful for all who joined us for these important discussions.

At Rapid7 we are eager to have the critical conversations at the critical moments and right now, the industry faces a great many challenges. From ransomware to cloud security to building the best 24/7/365 security operations center, the entire industry is facing hard choices from all fronts. But like every challenge, there are opportunities. And the Take Command Summit was created to help galvanize the entire security community to take command of those opportunities.

There are way too many highlights from the summit for us to go through them all here, but needless to say, the entire event is chock full of insights into the security landscape, tactics for overcoming security challenges, deep conversations on topics you and your organization are currently facing, and an expert look at where cybersecurity is going in the future.

But we would be remiss if we didn’t mention a few of the great conversations that were had (there were many). For instance, we launched the 2024 Attack Intelligence Report (AIR). The spiritual successor to our annual Vulnerability Intelligence Report, the AIR represents one of the most comprehensive looks at vulnerability and attacker behavior we have ever released. It includes input from our research, detection & response, and threat intelligence teams and is definitely worth a read and a watch.

In a similar vein, we went deep on the state of security in 2024. Raj Samani, Rapid7’s Chief Scientist, and Jaya Baloo, our Chief Security Officer, were joined by friendly hacker and SocialProof Security CEO, Rachel Tobac, to discuss everything from cloud native attackers to the latest in phishing, deepfakes, and more. The session on ransomware looked at the entire lifecycle of the attack type before, during and after the attack, and our resident artificial intelligence experts discussed ways to build resilient defenses (and offenses) using this up and coming tool.

The summit wasn’t entirely focused on the technical aspects of cybersecurity as at the end of the day security is so often about people. In a one of a kind presentation, Jaya Baloo and Rapid7’s Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Sophia Dozier, discussed ways to create a security team that emphasizes diverse viewpoints, lived experiences, and skill sets, in a way that makes the entire organization stronger. In a look at the current and future states of the regulatory landscape, current (and former) members of the Rapid7 legal and government affairs teams discussed the latest in SEC compliance.

To wrap up the day, former intelligence officer and founder of EverydaySpy, Andrew Bustemante, discussed his journey from Air Force pilot to clandestine CIA operative. The conversation highlighted how the skills he learned in the service have helped to shape his career and how to apply them to your own.

These are just a few of the important conversations that took place at the Take Command Summit. And while it is clear the security industry has a lot of challenges to overcome, the summit was not about doom and gloom but about resilience and preparation. The key takeaway is that as security professionals, we are not alone. There is a community of brilliant, hardworking professionals here that have your back and want to enable you to take command of your attack surface.

If you missed any of the summit or want to revisit the discussions, have no fear, every session is available on-demand.

In just a few short days, some of the best minds in cybersecurity will come together at Take Command to discuss the most pressing challenges and opportunities we face as an industry. The sessions include in-depth discussions on attacker trends and behaviors, a look into the Rapid7 SOC, top guest speakers with unique insights into the cybersecurity landscape, and, of course, a healthy helping of Rapid7’s own expert team.

To whet the whistle ahead of Tuesday’s discussion, we’ve reached out to some of our speakers for insights around what the Take Command Summit will offer.

For the security practitioners:

We asked our team members what they think security practitioners will take away from the summit. Jeffrey Gardner, Field CTO for the Americas talked about bringing best practices to the forefront and acting as a guide with years of experience to share.

“They will learn proven strategies on how to address issues all practitioners and security leaders face as well as insights that were learned through years of experience.”

Devin Krugly, a Strategic Security Advisor at Rapid7 echoed this sentiment with a more in-the-thick-of-it approach.

“Security pros will learn how to better prepare for the inevitable and learn from a SoC team that sees a far greater variety of threats and bad actors than any one company’s team of analysts.”

For the team leaders and decision makers:

Understanding how to lead a team of security practitioners during an era of almost constant change is no small feat. CISOs and other leaders face a constantly shifting security landscape and the need to create cohesive strategies to combat often nebulous adversaries.

Eddy Bobritsky, a Senior Director of Product Management talked about building those strategies by focusing efforts where they are most effective.

“These sessions will help CISOs to build an adaptive strategy focusing on some key elements and approaches at before, during and after the attack phases. They will learn that it is not always about faster detection but rather about reducing attack surface and investing in prevention and it will give them an idea on how to leverage MDR to help them to execute on this strategy.”

There is more than one critical component to leading a team and Sophia Dozier, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Rapid7 explained the benefits of having diverse viewpoints and experiences on the team.

“They [leaders] will understand how weaving principles of DEI into your company's processes provides a unique advantage over those that do not prioritize building multi-dimensional organizations. Actively embracing diversity and working to reflect the global markets that leverage your product, affords companies access to a wealth of knowledge and insight that contributes to their resilience and therefore long-term success.”

For the researchers and the security community:

There is a sentiment in the security community that rings true regardless of where in the chain of command one sits: know your adversary. For this, research and a community of thoughtful security professionals sharing information is absolutely essential.

Jeffrey Gardner, our Field CTO from earlier summed it up well by pointing out how understanding how your adversary is operating right now will help teams determine the most effective places to put their resources.

“Security researchers will learn the newest attack trends and statistics, thus enabling them to better prioritize their research efforts and spread understanding throughout the communities they are involved with.”

Devin Krugly shared a similar thought but couldn’t help but throw in some love for how Rapid7 is constantly and consistently using our world-class research teams to stay ahead of our adversaries.

“They will get a new perspective on attack trends, threat actor group tactics, and information on how Rapid7 is innovating to meet these challenges head on!”

These are just a few of the insights and perspectives you will receive from the Rapid7 Take Command Summit. If you haven’t registered yet, you can do so here. We hope you will join us on May 21 but if you miss it, have no fear, you can view the entire day’s programming on-demand after the fact.

The Rapid7 Take Command Summit is just two short weeks away. We’re busy putting together one of the most impactful programs on the latest in cybersecurity trends, technology, and innovations available, and we are eager to share it with all of you.

So eager, in fact, that Chairman and CEO of Rapid7, Corey Thomas, has a special message to share.

You can view the message (and register for the event) here.

The Take Command Summit is a chance to hear from industry leaders on up-to-the minute security research, trends, and intelligence; from ransomware and state-sponsored threats, to the marquee vulnerabilities making headlines around the globe.

At Take Command you will receive a glimpse into our elite security operations center (SOC); and understand the best ways to show your organization’s leadership how a robust security operation can actually improve your ROI. We will share our approach to building a world-class SOC with partners who truly understand your needs and what makes your security operations unique.

All of this is in service of what we call commanding the attack surface. It’s best expressed in our effort to anticipate, pinpoint, and act on imminent and active threats across your entire security ecosystem and foster a cultural shift that empowers every member of your organization to help keep your networks secure.

We think this is a critical conversation at a critical moment. We hope to see you there.

By now you should have heard about Take Command, Rapid7’s day-long virtual summit on May 21 bringing together some of the best minds in the cybersecurity sphere for comprehensive discussions on the latest data, challenges, and opportunities in the industry. It’s an opportunity to expand your understanding of the state of play right from the comfort of your own home (or office, or home office).

Our agenda is pretty all-encompassing. We will have sessions on cutting edge tools designed to keep your networks safe and brand new data on attacker behaviors from our Rapid7 Labs team. But the highlights don’t stop there. We will take you through the Rapid7 always-on global SOC so you can see first-hand how we detect and respond to threats from every angle and get strategies for confronting ransomware, state-sponsored threats, and the major vulnerabilities creating headlines (and headaches).

Here are a few more of the featured sessions:

• Command Your Cloud: Anticipate, Pinpoint, and Act on Cloud Threats: Learn the latest tactics and operational trends for detecting cloud threats and mitigating risks fast.
• Commander-in-Chief: Enhancing Cybersecurity Culture: Effective security is more than a set of tools and tactics, it is an organization-wide mindset. Discover ways to boost awareness, engagement, and proactive behaviors among all employees.
• Ready and Resilient: Before, During, & After Ransomware Attacks: We will explore the entire ransomware lifecycle from an attacker’s perspective: recon, toolkits, misconfigurations, the works.
• Unlocking Security Success: Strategies for Measuring Team Performance and Demonstrating ROI: This session will focus on how to knock those performance and budget conversations out of the park by highlighting data that actually drives momentum.

But wait, there’s more. Take Command is Rapid7’s premier virtual summit so we’ve pulled out all the stops with featured guest speakers.

Andrew Bustamante is a former covert CIA intelligence officer and US Air Force combat veteran turned Fortune 10 corporate advisor. Andrew will join the Take Command Summit for an insightful interview on how dynamic thinking, creative problem solving, and educated risk-taking can elevate your personal and professional life.

Rachel Tobac is the CEO of SocialProof Security, a renowned white hat hacker, and the seemingly perennial winner of DefCon’s Social Engineering Capture the Flag contest (seriously, it was three years in a row). Rachel will talk about how she hacks and the best ways to stop her, standing in for all of the attackers we face daily.

And last but not least, we will have Brian Honan, CEO and Principal Consultant for BHConsulting, on hand to discuss the best practices he has learned over a career in cybersecurity for large companies, multinationals, SMEs, and government agencies.

As you can see, the Take Command agenda and guest list is pretty well stacked, and getting better every day. Tune in here for more details as we get closer to May 21!

And if you haven’t already registered you can do so here. Sign up for whichever sessions you want to see, and if you can’t make them all, they will be available on demand.

Registration is now open for Take Command, a day-long virtual summit in partnership with AWS. You do not want to miss it. You’ll get new attack intelligence, insight into AI disruption, transparent MDR partnerships, and more.

In 2024, adversaries are using AI and new techniques, working in gangs with nation-state budgets. But it’s “inevitable” they’ll succeed? Really?

Before any talk of surrender, please join us at Take Command. We’ve packed the day with information and insights you can take back to your team and use immediately.

You’ll hear from Chief Scientist Raj Samani, our own Chief Security Officer Jaya Baloo, global security leaders, hands-on practitioners, and Rapid7 Labs leaders like Christiaan Beek and Caitlin Condon. You’ll get a first look at new, emergent research, trends, and intelligence from the curators of Metasploit and our renowned open source communities.

You’ll leave with actionable strategies to safeguard against the newest ransomware, state-sponsored TTPs, and marquee vulnerabilities.

Can’t make the entire day? Check out the agenda, see what fits

The summit kicks off with back-to-back keynotes. First, “Know Your Adversary: Breaking Down the 2024 Attack Intelligence Report” and “The State of Security 2024.”

You’ll get an insider view of Rapid7’s MDR SOC. Sessions range from “Building Defenses Through AI” to “Unlocking Success: Strategies for Measuring Team Performance” to a big favorite “Before, During, & After Ransomware Attacks.” Though no one really talks about it, there’s a lengthy “before” period, and new, good things you can do to frustrate the bad guys.

Take Command will offer strategies on building cybersecurity culture (yes, it’s difficult with humans). And, of course, preparing for the Securities & Exchange Commission's Cybersecurity Disclosure Rules. You’ll hear from Sabeen Malik, VP, Global Government Affairs and Public Policy, Kyra Ayo Caros Director, Corporate Securities & Compliance and Harley L. Geiger, Venable LLP.

Now, turning the tables on attackers is possible

Adversaries are inflicting $10 trillion in damage to the global economy every year , and the goal posts keep moving. As risks from cloud, IoT, AI and quantum computing proliferate and attacks get more frequent, SecOps have never been more stressed. And more in need of sophisticated guidance.

Mark your calendar for May 21. Get details here. You’ll be saving a lot more than the date.