The free cybersecurity conference focuses on small and medium-sized businesses

There were more than 2,300 cyberattacks in the United States last year, with more than 340 million victims, according to the nonprofit Identity Theft Resource Center’s 2023 annual Data Breach Report. Attacks can take many forms, from phishing to distributed denial of service attacks, and can cost companies millions. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s 2023 Internet Crime Report, potential financial losses from cyberattacks exceeded $12.5 billion last year. All types of businesses and organizations are affected, but small and medium-sized businesses may be particularly at risk.

“Cyberattacks are very costly for small and medium-sized businesses as they operate under tight budget constraints and limited available resources,” said Shamik Sengupta, executive director of the University of Nevada Reno Cybersecurity Center. “If you now take into account the constant cyber attacks and downtime, the picture emerges. This conference aims to demonstrate how the Cybersecurity Center can work with small and medium-sized businesses and help them protect themselves.”

Cybersecurity for small and medium-sized businesses will be the focus of this year’s University of Nevada, Reno Cybersecurity Conference, November 12 from 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. in the Joe Crowley Student Union on the university campus. Speakers at this free event will include Daniel Eliot from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), who will present “Creating Small Business On-Ramps to NIST Cybersecurity Guidance.” Aaron Rose of Check Point Software Technologies will discuss the use of AI to strengthen cybersecurity defenses. Conference sessions include an examination of open source cybersecurity tools for enterprises and a discussion of the cybersecurity landscape for small businesses.

The conference is organized by the university’s Cybersecurity Center, a group of interdisciplinary faculty members who collaborate with industry partners to develop holistic solutions to cybersecurity challenges. The center participates in the MS Cybersecurity degree program (both online and on-site); two bachelor’s minors; and an interdisciplinary graduate certificate in cybersecurity. The College of Engineering’s Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Engineering with a minor in Cybersecurity is recognized by the National Security Agency as a Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber ​​Defense (CAE-CD). Last summer, National Cyber ​​Director Harry Coker Jr. visited the Cybersecurity Center to recognize its Research Experience for Teachers (RET) program. This program for middle and high school teachers gives educators the skills to inspire their students to pursue careers in cybersecurity.