Day 2 Recap: Opening Keynote, Women’s Leadership Reception and more

RSAC 2018 Tuesday Recap & Wednesday Preview: The Cryptographers Panel, Department of Homeland Security, Upcoming Keynotes and More

Tuesday was the first chance of the week for attendees to hear from this year’s keynote speakers and they did not disappoint. 

For the much-anticipated Cryptographers’ Panel, moderator Dr. Zulfikar Ramzan, Chief Technology Officer, RSA was joined onstage by famed industry luminaries. The audience was treated to a wide-ranging discussion covering the current state of security and privacy and the evolution of the public conversation impacting companies, organizations and individuals.

Asked by Dr. Ramzan about silver linings for the audience against the backdrop of a complex threat landscape, panelists joked about job security, but also noted advances in hardware technology, a necessary focus on election security, and a broadening awareness of privacy as critical to protecting the digital world we all want to live in.

The Honorable Kirstjen M. Nielsen, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) addressed a packed house as well as those watching via LiveStream.

Nielsen delivered a speech outlining strategies the DHS is using to protect the country’s citizens and organizations from cyberattacks, breaches and cybercrime and focusing on five areas where she said there needs to be a new approach for a new age. Hyper connectivity, Nielsen said, meant that we had a shared risk and it was impossible to protect ourselves whether as a company or an individual in a vacuum. 

“The threat is evolving constantly and innovation is evolving constantly, the latter we want and the former we want to get ahead of, so our posture needs to change. We need to be forward on our toes and not leaning back.”

Partnership between the public and private sector was a key theme of Nielsen’s speech and fireside chat with CNBC Technology Reporter Deirdre Bosa. Asked about the Cybersecurity Tech Accord recently signed by technology companies, Secretary Nielsen said she looked forward to learning more about the accord and working with the companies involved. 

“We have to voluntarily come together in the absence of true rules and regulations in the cyber realm to agree what is appropriate and what is not appropriate, where are those red lines,” she said. 

Additionally, Chris D. Young, CEO, McAfee; Rohit Ghai, President, RSA; John N. Stewart

Senior Vice President, Chief Security and Trust Officer, Cisco; and Brad Smith, President, Microsoft, spoke to Conference goers.

Wednesday: A Preview Snapshot 

• Reshma Saujani, Founder and CEO, Girls Who Code– Offering a speech titled “How to Fail First, Fail Hard and Fail Fast,” Saujani, reflects on how her failures built a national movement that is changing conversations. Recounting lessons learned and offering tools to improve resiliency and embark on new ideas, Saujani will inspire audience members to pursue risk and help reshape the country by sharing stories of women who have taken great risks and chosen to seek failure rather than fear it.

• Monica Lewinsky, Social Activist, Writer and Speaker – Online public shaming has become a constant and pervasive reality in our digital world. Conference goers will hear Lewinsky’s speak on “Price of Shame” in which she takes a hard look at our online culture of humiliation and asks for a different approach.

This year’s keynote sessions bring a diverse and impressive array of speakers onstage. We encourage you to check out the full schedule for the week and the livestream.And it’s never too late to download the RSA Conference official mobile app to help you maximize your time at the show. 

After Hours Activities… 

• Expo Pub Crawl – A great chance to warm-up for Thursday’s RSAC Bash is to come along for this year’s crawl to visit sponsoring companies’ booths, learn about their latest innovations and enjoy complimentary beer, wine and non-alcoholic beverages. All registrant types welcome.

• Nighttime Ninja – Our sponsor-hosted sessions exploring technical solutions continue Wednesday night starting at 7:30 PM.

Unable to joins us at the show in-person this year? We encourage you to check out RSAC OnDemand, featuring some of the Conference’s most looked-forward-to moments, RSAC onDemand will gives you critical and relevant industry information online and wherever you are.

Heard in the Press Room

• 20 Hot New Security Products Announced at RSA 2018
• Microsoft’s Brad Smith urges action on nation-state cyberthreats
• RSA’s Ghai stresses positive thinking, teamwork and diversity
• ISACA: Cybersecurity skills gap still hurting enterprises