Kent Cyber Security Forum to address cyber threats

A one day event at the Canterbury campus on Thursday 5 September will enable businesses and organisations with cyber security problems and challenges to meet with cyber security experts and researchers.

The event will provide them with the opportunity to discuss the increasing number of cyber threats, what can be done to combat them, and how to make businesses and organisations more cyber aware and resilient.

Hosted by the University's Interdisciplinary Research Centre in Cyber Security (KirCCS), the event will be of interest to those working in industry, and public-sector, higher education and research institutions.

It will also be of particular interest to SMEs and organisations without a dedicated cyber security team, as well as people who are interested in starting their own businesses but lack cyber security expertise.

World-renowned cyber security experts and first-class speakers, Mikko Hyppönen, Chief Research Officer from F-Secure, and Dr Jessica Barker, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Cygenta will deliver the keynote talks. A senior speaker from the National Cyber Security Centre, a part of GCHQ, will give an invited talk to start the event. There will also be a stand and a short talk from Kent Police, with the force's Prevent and Protect Officer for cyberoutlining why cyber protection is so important for businesses, the public sector and individuals.

A number of other speakers from the University of Kent and other supporting organisations will also give short talks on what services and help they offer to businesses and organisations.

Across the day there will be free micro-consultancy opportunities, allowing participants to get bespoke advice on their own real-world cyber security problems from experienced cyber security experts in short one-to-one sessions. There will also be exhibitions and demos from the University and other organisations.

Shujun Li, Professor of Cyber Security at the University's School of Computing and Director of KirCCS, said: 'From phishing attacks to ransomware, cyber attacks are a real threat to organisations of all sizes including small and medium-sized businesses, large companies, the public sector and charities across the UK and the world. They are also an increasing threat, with an estimated one third of UK SMEs becoming victims of an attack last year.

'The event's aim is to inform businesses and organisations not just of the types of cyber threat they need to be aware of but also to help them prepare for, prevent and deal with such threats to their day-to-day operations, in order to reduce costs and harm.'

In addition to the supporting organisations mentioned above, the following organisations will also be present to support the event: the US-based global Cyber Readiness Institute; NCC Group; SecureData; EK Services; GEOTEC Consortium; and Huawei Technologies. Most of the supporting organisations will offer micro-consultancy sessions. The Research England-funded Enabling Innovation: Research to Application (EIRA) project will have a stand providing information on relevant funding opportunities for businesses.

Further information on the Kent Cyber Security Forum (KCSF) 2019, as well as costs/concessions and booking details, can be found here. To register for attendance please visit here. PLEASE NOTE: a limited number of discount tickets (£49 per head) are being offered with the unlock code Cyber49.

KirCCS is one of only 19 UK government recognised Academic Centres of Excellence in Cyber Security Research. Building on the success of the Centre, the University is setting up the Institute of Advanced Studies in Cyber Security and Conflict, which is due to be launched in early 2020.