Have you been considering hiring a keynote speaker to educate event attendees or your staff on the latest cyber threats? Businesses everywhere are investing in these workshop-like in-person and virtual seminars and teaching their audience all about recent hacking tactics. Attendees leave with insights into the latest industry-accepted security best practices, expertly advised by some of the best cyber professionals in the business.
But why hire a cybersecurity keynote speaker instead of pushing security awareness training? Sometimes you just have to see it to believe it— and live demonstrations can “wow” and excite your audience like no training course can.
Here are three huge ways a security speaker can empower your attendees to better safeguard your business:
1. Your audience will see how live hacks originate before their eyes.
Your employees or audience hear of cyber threats and hacks on the news all the time. Just like the news outlets who publicize the impact of the breach, your audience probably lingers on all the negative repercussions. However, few people take the time to learn about how the hacker breached the company in the first place, that is, the intricacies of what vulnerability was exploited to gain access to the system.
By eliciting a cyber security keynote speaker, you are painting a full narrative, or detailing for your listeners the step-by-step journey from the start of a hack to the end.
For instance, the speaker may explain how a bad actor planted an infected USB Ninja Cable into a new hire’s work cell packaging, and upon plugging the cord into their device, was injected with malicious malware.
Or, your attendees may watch a public WiFi network be commandeered by a clever hacker who sends the user to a look-alike website and prompts them to install a software update with injected keystrokes (despite having a fully patched operating system and the latest antivirus software).
There are quite a few different hacking techniques that cyber criminals use to manipulate users, with new tactics constantly emerging, and a modern cyber security keynote speaker will keep your audience up-to-date on the latest methods.
2. They’ll understand what type of access hackers can gain.
There are various points-of-access a hacker can target to get the private data they’re after, not all of which are obvious to the average user. For instance, your audience may already know a little about social engineering and to be cautious of opening emails from unfamiliar senders, but there are many other ways crafty hackers can penetrate your line of defense via human error.
Even documents that pass your antivirus scanners radar can be malicious. For instance, a nondisclosure agreement could be sent to your staff member in a seemingly normal Word document. Even when opened, it looks normal; nothing’s embedded, and nothing alarming pops up. But by simply opening the file, your user gave a bad guy a doorway into your internal network, and is able to perform a password dump to access a user's hashed version of their password, which can be easily cracked with a dedicated password cracker.
Once past your barrier, the hacker could use their software to upload and download files, modify the registry or turn a laptop into a room bug by using spy functions to enable your webcam or microphone to record conversations in real time.
A cybersecurity keynote speaker can also educate your audience on the dangers of physical intrusions via proximity card credential theft, whereas clever hackers use specialized devices to steal your swipe card’s information. Once obtained, they can purchase the software and tools needed to duplicate/clone an employee’s access card, and gain access to your place of employment after hours, posing as your staff member. These are just a few examples of situations a cybersecurity speaker may detail, giving your audience a clear understanding of what the hacker is after and exactly how they may access it.
3. They’ll get real-world advice to avoid getting hacked.
Perhaps most importantly, the right security keynote speaker will ensure the audience leaves with not only an understanding of how hacks start and what criminals can do once they have access, but also what someone can do to protect themselves and their company against cyber threats.
A cybersecurity presenter should weave security advice into their live demonstrations, ending each example with a clear takeaway. For instance, after showing an audience how a malicious “WiFi Pi” device works, the speaker should explain that open WiFi networks are not safe, and that users should be cautious to connect to one when accessing private information— and to avoid downloading or updating software while connected, as it could be a clever hacker attempt at entry into your device.
In another instance, the keynote speaker may reveal how easy it is to find a person’s mother’s maiden name with the right database access, cautioning users against using this as the only form of verification when calling into their bank, etc. The speaker may recommend choosing a different security question or urging you to push for multi factor authentication for enhanced protection. By hiring a security expert, you are arming your audience with both an understanding of today’s cyber threats and how to avoid them.
From Black Hat Hacking to White— Like No Speaker You’ve Seen Before
While researching security keynote speakers, you probably found a few familiar names. But despite the reputation of other cybersecurity professionals— there’s no one quite like Kevin Mitnick.
Formerly one of the FBI’s Most Wanted, Kevin earned his fame by hacking into 40 major corporations— just to prove he could. Today, he’s a celebrity icon, global bestselling author and cybersecurity mastermind working for the good of his clients.
Learn more about Kevin Mitnick and the Global Ghost Team and book him to speak at your next event or virtual event.
