Please find the current Press Release for CornCon IV, held at SAU Rogalski Center in Davenport, IA on Sep 7-8, 2018.
PRESS RELEASE (PDF)
For additional information or for an interview or to set up press for this event, please contact John Johnson, corncon@corncon.net.
PRESS RELEASE: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
4th Annual QC Cybersecurity Conference & Kids’ Hacker Camp
Local organizations band together to raise security awareness for kids and adults
Davenport, Iowa September 7 & 8, 2018: 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 4th annual Quad Cities Cybersecurity Conference & Kids’ Hacker Campseeks to raise awareness to these threats and offer solutions. Security executives and federal officials are set to descend on the Quad Cities on September 7thand 8thto 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. The 2018 Platinum Sponsor is Malwarebytes. This year, the conference will be held in the Rogalski Center, on the SAU campus, with an expected attendance of 200. Friday, September 7will feature a workshop for business leaders and IT professionals, taught by information security executives. The general conference will commence on Saturday, September 8, with a full day of expert speakers, hands on workshops and contests. Author Matthew Mather, will be the opening keynote on Saturday, followed by a book signing of his bestselling thriller “Cyber Storm”. There will be a vendor expo and hacker villages, such as 3D printing, DroneWarz, lockpicking and car hacking. The US Army will hold a penetration testing workshop for kids and adults.
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 20+ STEM related activities, including: lockpicking, coding, electronics, cryptography, privacy and the ethical use of technology. There will be a special workstation on election hacking, as recently in the news and featured at Def Con. “Kids are great with technology,” says John Johnson, CornCon Co-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, privacy and security and defend against cybercriminals. We show kids the benefits of technology and the risks. Making and breaking, hacking and learning, 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.
