Tag: cybersecurity

In her mission to create a safe and secure Internet for everyone, cybersecurity expert Tarah Wheeler has won the US/UK Fulbright Cyber Security Scholar Award.

The Internet has undoubtedly improved the lives of people all over the world; however, as it’s grown, its vulnerabilities have also become more obvious. Today, corporations, government agencies, and individuals all run the risk of being cyberattacked. Tarah Wheeler, who joined New America as a Cybersecurity Policy Fellow in 2017, is set to embark on a new research appointment at Oxford University to explore the dangers of cyber war crimes. Supported by Fulbright, Wheeler will conduct research in conjunction with the UK National Health Service on defining cyber war crimes, and mitigating civilization bystander harms in nation-state sponsored cyberattacks.

“I’m elated to have been selected for the US Fulbright Scholarship,” Wheeler said. “Often, the hidden victims of cyberwarfare are civilians, uncounted in the toll taken by state-sponsored cyberconflict, and it will be an honor to help shine a light on how ordinary people are personally affected by distant conflict unexpectedly spilling over into their jobs, healthcare, homes, food supply, and even lives.”

Peter Bergen, the Vice President of Global Studies and Fellows at New America, congratulated Wheeler on her “greatly deserved” Fulbright Cyber Security Award on behalf of everyone at the organization. He said, “[Wheeler’s] contributions to cyber attack mitigation research has the potential to prevent real harm in the future.”

Meanwhile, the Coordinator of Cyber Security Oxford Katherine Fletcher, welcomed Wheeler, saying, “We are looking forward to hosting Tarah, as her work will nicely complement ongoing projects looking at cyber harm and resilience from a variety of angles—legal, sociological, economic, et. cetera⁠—which we hope might lead to further collaborations.”

To book speaker Tarah Wheeler for your next event, contact The Lavin Agency today, her exclusive speakers bureau.

Tarah Wheeler, a cybersecurity policy fellow at New America, joined Bloomberg Daybreak: Asia to discuss how regulatory policies, as well as the U.S.-China mini trade deal, could impact the tech sector. 

“These days, warfare is conducted on land, by sea, in the air, across space, and now in the fifth battleground: cyberspace,” says cybersecurity expert Tarah Wheeler in her feature for Foreign Policy. “Yet so far, the U.S. government has fumbled on cybersecurity, outsourcing much of that area of conflict to the private sector … leaving the country exposed to foreign attack.” 

With cyberattacks, it’s typically civilians who bear the brunt: “almost all cybersecurity experts and the FBI believe that the Sony Pictures hack originated in North Korea. A hostile country hit a U.S. civilian target with the intention of destabilizing a major corporation, and it succeeded … in the near future, attacks like the Sony hack will not be exceptional. There are countless vulnerabilities that could result in mass causalities, and there no agreed norms or rules to define or punish such crimes.” Unless armed force has been brought to bear within the borders of a country, no internationally recognized act of aggression has occurred, which means Russia’s various election hacks don’t count either.

 

This, says Wheeler, is why we need digital Geneva Conventions, “deep, well-enforced rules surrounding the conduct of war in cyberspace … without a global consensus on what constitutes cyberwar, the world will be left in an anarchic state governed by contradictory laws and norms and vulnerable to the possibility of a devastating war launched by a few anonymous keystrokes.”

 

Read Tarah Wheeler’s sobering Foreign Policy feature now. 

To book Tarah Wheeler, or another cybersecurity speaker, contact The Lavin Agency. 

Last month, Wired Editor-in-Chief Nicholas Thompson wrote a gripping and comprehensive cover story about Facebook’s tumultuous last two years: suppressing conservative media, disseminating “fake news,” and failing to grasp the power of the platform. Now largely considered one of the leading authorities on the wide-reaching implications of Facebook’s recent Cambridge Analytica scandal, Thompson was one of only three reporters to speak with Mark Zuckerberg in its wake. 

Thompson’s keynotes are now more timely than ever. How do the world’s dominant tech giants—Apple, Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and in this case Facebook—interact with citizens and citizenship? How are they influencing policy, government, even actual elections? What are their responsibilities to us? To the truth? To national security? No matter the subject—design, culture, media, tech, ethics, or our digital future—Nicholas Thompson is a seasoned, compelling speaker, who doesn’t just break the crucial stories—he teaches audiences how to understand why they’re crucial too.

Check out his special segments on CBS in which he reports on the Cambridge Analytica scandal, and discusses his conversation with Mark Zuckerberg after the fact. 

Lavin’s cybersecurity and technology keynote speakers are at the forefront of their fields. To book Nicholas Thompson, or another one of our digital, data or tech speakers, contact The Lavin Agency.

Cybersecurity attacks are doubling every year. Phishing scams are at an all-time high. These days, it isn’t an IT flunky answering for security breaches, it’s CEOs and business owners, non-tech professionals who need clear, actionable guides to understand how to secure themselves, and protect their customer’s data. Enter Tarah Wheeler.

Tarah Wheeler is the former cybersecurity czar at Symantec—one of the world’s leading cybersecurity firms with over $4 billion in sales, and the global leader in keeping citizens and businesses safe from cyber attacks. She’s also a self-described hacker, author, and CEO of Red Queen Technologies, a security firm that helps business owners understand threats and defend their organizations every day.

With solid facts, thoughtful examples, and a clear, welcoming approach to a subject that many find complicated and stressful, Wheeler’s talks demystify cybersecurity for the layman and empower business owners with knowledge and know-how to protect themselves from threats, however tech-savvy they are. 

 

 

Tarah Wheeler is a strong leader, forging a path for women in tech. To book her or another trailblazing woman in leadership, contact The Lavin Agency.  

Cybersecurity seems like someone else’s problem—until it’s yours. To Lavin’s latest speaker, Tarah Wheeler, it’s not just a problem—it’s a pleasure. As one of the nation’s leading authorities on digital security, Wheeler’s talks provide clear-cut intel into how (and why) we should protect our virtual selves. 

“I hack the future,” says Wheeler. “The things that we don’t see in technology are the things that come back and bite us.” Think of the DNC email leaks, and reports of Russian hackers gone “spear-phishing.” To that end, Wheeler has served as Senior Director of Engineering and Principal Security Advocate at Symantec Website Security, a company charged with maintaining the digital safety of both corporate clients and private citizens. She is also the founder of Fizzmint, an end-to-end employee management company, where she now sits on the board.

 

Straight out of college, Wheeler joined Microsoft Game Studios to work on teams for blockbuster games like Halo before moving on to build systems at encrypted mobile communications firm Silent Circle. She went on to create the Women in Tech Council (to increase women’s participation in tech conference speaking) and Hack the People Foundation (a nonprofit mentorship initiative focused on providing opportunites for the underprivileged to work in  technology).

 

Wheeler is also the head author of Women in Tech: Take Your Career to The Next Level with Practical Advice and Inspiring Stories. Women in Tech is a straightforward instruction manual written for women of all backgrounds as they enter or navigate the professional world of STEM—from engineering, security, game design, to computer coding. Throughout the book—as in her engaging, insightful, and personable talks—Wheeler is a brilliant and empathetic advocate for both increased digital literacy and inclusivity in tech.

 

An ace at Texas hold’em (she cleaned out poker rooms to seed her first projects), Wheeler’s lucid approach to speaking offers real-world advice for women on salary negotiation, entrepreneurship, and mentorship, as well as wisdom for anyone wishing to understand the complexity of cybersecurity without stress or confusion.

Tarah Wheeler is just one of our exciting tech speakers. Visit our dedicated Technology page to learn about other speakers like Amber Mac, a vibrant voice for A.I. and the future of work.