Overview
Join us for our monthly Cyber Meetup events! These events are designed for business, education, technology, and community partners to come together for collaborative learning and discussion on technology topics. Every event features a presentation from a technology professional, discussion, and time for networking!
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Meetings are held on the first Wednesday of every month at noon and lunch will be provided (to in-person attendees only). These events are made possible thanks to Microsoft!
About March’s Event – Social Engineering & Human Cognition
Presentation by: Randy Rose, VP, Security Operations & Intelligence at CIS
Randy has over two decades of experience across state, local, and federal government. He currently leads Security Operations & Intelligence at the Center for Internet Security. In this role, he oversees the execution of CIS’ Security Operations Center, Cyber Threat Intelligence, Physical Threat Intelligence, Cyber Incident Response, and Red Team missions in direct support of the Multi-State ISAC. Previously, he led the largest Joint DoD Security Operations Center in Europe and headed the Intelligence Department for the Navy’s Cyber Operations Task Force. Early in his career, he served on active duty in the U.S. Air Force and, upon discharge, he was New York State’s first local government-focused penetration tester.
He moonlights as an adjunct instructor at Siena University and the State University of NY at Albany. He sits on the Board of Directors for two local community focused non-profits helping those in need of housing and supplies. With an academic foundation in anthropology, psychology, and cybersecurity, Randy focuses on the human side of security and our interactions with emerging and future technology.
Session description: The March session will be focused on social engineering. Social engineering tactics exploit the very traits that make us human: our cognitive abilities, mental shortcuts, emotional responses, and the trust we place in each other. In this presentation, we’ll explore the psychological underpinnings that allow attackers to manipulate behaviors, drawing on insights from Daniel Kahneman’s research into our mental systems, Robert Cialdini’s principles of influence, and more. We’ll delve into the mechanics of information processing to uncover why our brains are wired to fall for well-crafted deceptions. This session offers a fresh perspective on social engineering in a fun, interactive way, helping you understand the “why” behind the “how” and empowering you to recognize and resist manipulative tactics, and maybe even deploy some reversals of your own.