For those affiliated with the VICEROY program, contact your institution's VICEROY representative to learn about opportunities to highlight research at HammerCon!
Links to Other Tracks:
Notes: Schedule subject to change. ⚡︎ indicates "lightning talks" (15 minute slot to share ideas but no Q&A).
Track Co-MC. Professor at the National Defense University (NDU) College of Information and Cyberspace (CIC), former President of MCPA's National Capital Region (NCR) Chapter, and inaugural Director of MCPA's Military Cyber Institute (MCI). https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephschafer/
Eager to bring AI into your organization? Before you make the decision to build or buy, you need to understand how AI works, the types of capabilities it presents, and the potential risks and rewards AI presents. In this provocative and likely irreverent presentation, retired Brigadier General Greg Touhill, the first Chief Information Security Officer of the US government, and now the director of the world renowned CERT division at Carnegie Mellon University’s Software Engineering Institute, will discuss AI lessons learned from the decades of CMU research that led to the creation of AI technology and share his thoughts on the questions leaders should be asking about AI before making decisions on how and when to leverage AI systems. Learn how to tell the difference between a potential game-changer to gain decisive advantage on the battlefield and a potential dumpster fire that could leave you broke, disappointed, and defeated.
Director of the Carnegie Mellon University Software Engineering Institute's (SEI) CERT Division, inaugural/former Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) of the United States, and MCPA Advisor. https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregorytouhill/
Discuss the insider secrets of battle tested techniques on how to conduct cyber team training exercises that are more impactful and beneficial to the team participants while keeping costs low and maximizing value.
Cyber Security Engineer at the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) CERT Division. https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-podnar-5526a87/
Separate the hype from the reality. This session provides a systematic review of the performance of several popular LLMs (Large Language Models) such as ChatGPT3.5, ChatGPT 4, ChatGPT4o and GitHub CoPilot. Thousands of source programs written in C, C++ and Java were given to these systems to evaluate how well the LLM could detect, and possibly correct errors. The results – the good, the bad and the ugly – are summarized and compared with the results of other studies.
Machine Learning (ML) Engineer with the Software Engineering Institute (SEI). https://www.infosecworldusa.com/isw25/speaker/?iswid=1700004
This presentation discusses the need for information security (INFOSEC) at the molecular level to protect our genetic information in light of the increasing use and significant advancements of gene editing technologies such as CRISPR/Cas9. The proliferation of these technologies, coupled with tools from crippling ransomware attacks, has raised fears about the security and loss of integrity of genetic data. Research has demonstrated that we will soon have the internet run through our bodies, and we will be another end device in the larger world of IOT. Consider the consequences of a malicious actor launching a biocyber attack that executed a DDOS of your brain or another vital organ. Implementing Comprehensive INFOSEC at the molecular level is imperative to protect individual privacy, thwart malicious actors, and help prevent errors and accidental mutations in genetic data that could result in false diagnoses or incorrect treatment plans, potentially risking patients' lives.
Army Veteran, NSA Military Performer of the Year (2007) and SIGINT Officer of the Year (2008), former EC-Council University Advisory Council Member and Mackenzie Institute International Board of Advisors Member, Fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts in London, and Principal Partner of CW PENSEC. https://www.linkedin.com/in/gcarpenter-cso-kbi/
Digital twins are virtual replicas of physical objects or systems that exist in the digital world, accurately reflecting their properties, behavior, and performance. However, significant security risks are posed by the emergence of Human Digital Twins (HDTs) – digital replicas of individuals created by combining detailed personal data with advanced algorithms, allowing for highly personalized modeling and simulation. These HDTs could be exploited by malicious actors to undermine U.S. homeland security in various ways, including drug trafficking, human trafficking, emergency management, border control, election influence, synthetic biology threats, and kinetic attacks. This effort developed a risk assessment framework to evaluate these national security threats and to identify potential mitigations.
National Security Analyst at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL). https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-miceli-37223893/
DoD Cyber Service Academy Program Manager and former NSA Program Director. https://www.linkedin.com/in/alice-smitley-56b58988/
Cyber Workforce Development Branch Chief, Workforce Innovation Directorate, Office of the Chief Information Officer (CIO), Department of Defense (DoD). https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-isnor-3478902b/
Associate Dean of Joint Warfighting at the National Defense University (NDU) CIC, former Director of the Army AI Task Force, and MCPA Advisor. https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-easley/
VICEROY National Director and Director of Cyber-Spectrum Academic Engagement at the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (R&E). https://www.linkedin.com/in/chester-maciag-9630aa126/
Students (undergraduate and graduate) and faculty presenting their research findings! See the MCA journal and CYBER magazine for their printed work.
Executive Program Director/Principal Investigator of the DOD Senior Military College Cyber Institutes and Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at Norwich University. https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharon-hamilton-phd-colonel-army-ret/
While often taught as part of the computer sciences, there is an argument to be made that cyber is more closely related to the social sciences. This talk will explore how organizations can improve their risk management by bringing in some social sciences thinking, and perhaps convince you, too, that cyber is, at its core, a social science.
Principal Cyber Risk Engineer at Liberty Mutual Insurance and former Sergeant Major of the Army Cyber Institute (ACI). https://www.linkedin.com/in/adraeger/
Founder/President/CEO of WhiteHawk, Inc. and former served as an Executive Director of the Carnegie Mellon University's Software Engineering Institute (SEI), President of the Naval Intelligence Professionals (NIP), and Deputy Director of Naval Intelligence (DDNI). https://www.linkedin.com/in/terry-roberts-193493143/