Archives for August 2017

Third Annual QC Cybersecurity Conference & Kids’ Hacker Camp

Local organizations band together to raise security awareness for kids and adults

Davenport, Iowa September 8 & 9, 2009:  Cybersecurity and privacy are on the minds of government officials, business leaders, educators and parents. In an age where everything can and will be connected to the Internet, we are faced with the opportunities that new connected technology brings and at the same time must deal with attacks coming fast and furious by our digital adversaries. The third annual Quad Cities Cybersecurity Conference & Kids Hacker Camp seeks to raise awareness to these threats, and offer solutions. Security executives and federal agencies are set to descend on the Quad Cities on September 8^th and 9^th to provide a roadmap for local businesses, IT professionals, students and the general public on how to prepare and defend against cybersecurity threats.

CornCon, as the conference is better known, was founded in 2015 by the Quad Cities Cybersecurity Alliance, in a partnership with the IEEE Computer Society and St. Ambrose University. This year, the conference will be held in the Rogalski Center, on the SAU campus, with an expected attendance of 200. Friday, September 8 will feature a workshop for business leaders and IT professionals, taught by information security executives. The general conference will commence on Saturday, September 9, with a full day of expert speakers, hands on workshops and contests. There will be a vendor expo and hacker village. Local community groups and businesses will join the likes of John Deere and Facebook to show off STEM projects and to discuss cybersecurity careers with students. Platinum sponsors include: Google, Facebook, Malwarebytes, Conventus and Microsoft.

The Saturday conference also offers children an opportunity to learn about the field of cybersecurity. The kids’ hacker camp, known as The Children of The CornCon, will introduce 100 kids to two dozen STEM related activities, including: lockpicking, coding, electronics, cryptography, privacy and the ethical use of technology.  “Kids are great with technology,” says John Johnson, CornCon Founder and Conference Chair. “When you understand technology and how it can be vulnerable, you have a responsibility to use that knowledge to promote safety and security and defend against the black hat hackers. We show kids the benefits of technology and the risks. Making and breaking, if you will, while instilling an ethical framework for the creation and use of technology.”

Johnson concludes that no one will be turned away from attending due to cost. Grants are available by emailing corncon@corncon.net Registration and additional information can be found on the conference website: www.corncon.net.