The accelerated digital adoption since the COVID-19 pandemic has transformed businesses. Meanwhile, cybercriminals took this opportunity to exploit the increased digital exposure to the Internet (with work from home being the norm) to tap on vulnerabilities in the computer networks of individuals and institutions, be it local businesses or global organisations.
A report by IBM shows that 2021 witnessed data breach costs rising from US$3.38 million to US$4.24 million per breach, the highest average total cost reported in the last 17 years. A cyber threat assessment of the ASEAN region by Interpol pinpointed a number of prominent cyber threats throughout 2020, which included business email compromise, e-commerce data interception, and crypto-jacking, the latter related to the increasing popularity of cryptocurrency.
The above highlights the urgency of addressing the latest challenges in cybersecurity. And with projections that digital technology, be it mobile apps or the Internet of Things (IoT), will progressively be entrenched into the daily lives of Southeast Asians, addressing and preparing for potential issues by cybersecurity experts is timelier than ever.
Bringing cybersecurity knowledge to the region
Multiple forums exist to convene cybersecurity experts, enabling a robust interchange of ideas on the latest situation and solutions. However, not all of these forums adequately create a space for such discussions to occur. To attend the most established annual cybersecurity conferences and training in the world — Black Hat USA and DEF CON, combined — can cost upwards of S$10,000 for Southeast Asians to attend. Meanwhile, the CODE BLUE in Japan and HITCON in Taiwan, which are part of the East Asian Conferences, present 50% of their content in the local languages, adds a language barrier to non-native attendees.
The lack of techno-centric cybersecurity conferences in the region — especially ones that are tailor-fit for the specific and unique context of Southeast Asia — became the impetus behind the creation of SINCON in 2018. The pandemic has not thwarted the annual conference with SINCON announcing the Infosec in the City, SINCON 2021 which will run on November 5-6 2021.
Infosec In the City, or IIC, is an international cybersecurity capability and capacity development network that aims to enhance the global cybersecurity capacity through training, events and conferences. IIC’s Singapore network — SINCON — is based on the principle that expanding access to the latest cybersecurity information and updates will further impel the development of the regional cybersecurity industry, which already is growing rapidly.
Also read: How startups can foster resilience and break barriers
Furthermore, SINCON has been developed as the international flagship event of Division Zero (Div0). Div0 is the leading community in Singapore in terms of cybersecurity knowledge sharing, practice and development. Leading SINCON are Adrian Mahieu, an established international cybersecurity expert and organiser of 44CON, and Emil Tan, co-founder of Div0 who has built a solid reputation after working in cybersecurity for over 10 years.
“SINCON will address the gaps and challenges in the cybersecurity space, particularly in Southeast Asia, through affordability of conferences, accessibility to great techno-centric practice and content, and bringing the best cybersecurity conference experience to Singapore and the region,” said Emil Tan.
Emil added that SINCON 2021 stood out from the previous iterations as this year’s conference marked the “coming together of the vision of SINCON on an online platform”.
“SINCON 2018, as the first iteration, was all about the techno-centric practice, with SINCON 2019 adding on the business and community side. Then, SINCON 2020 focused on the 2018 experience due to the move to an online platform. So, it can be said that SINCON 2021 is the online version of 2019 in the sense of the features and experience,” he added.
Making cybersecurity accessible to all
On keeping prices affordable, SINCON does this to ensure that as many cybersecurity professionals, practitioners, and enthusiasts as possible can benefit from the event, which will be conducted virtually due to the ongoing pandemic. Unlike bigger conferences in Singapore that charge S$1,500 and above for their physical conferences, SINCON made it a point not to go over S$1,000 (SINCON 2019 was S$595).
Currently, with everything online, SINCON tickets go as low as S$0 during the early bird period which lasts until 24 October, with the highest being S$75 for late purchases. SINCON releases three ticket categories, with the most basic being Open Access. Up one step is the Standard Access which unlocks the entrance to all the conference tracks, with Patron Access being the top-of-the-line ticket carrying additional perks such as being listed as a patron on the conference platform.
Also read: PETRONAS FutureTech 2.0 to catalyse tech startup innovation in the energy sector
The quality of the event’s content also certainly surpasses its price tag. SINCON 2021 will feature experts, practitioners, and thought leaders who are ready to share their wealth of knowledge and perspective on innovative solutions and real-life experience connected to managing next-generation cybersecurity risks, threats, and vulnerabilities. Here are some examples of the talks at the main event:
- Alex Matrosov, Founder and CEO of Binarly Inc., will be speaking on how to manage hardware and firmware security challenges to ensure holistic platform security in the current supply-chain world
- Global automotive security experts, Alina Tan, Edmund Lim, and Kamel Ghali, will be conducting workshops on car security.
- Aaron Aubrey Ng, Strategic Threat Advisor at Crowdstrike, will be conducting an exposè of the criminal underground.
Simply put, SINCON 2021 has content for everyone – whether you’re an expert, intermediate or beginner. There is something for you to learn and be able to apply immediately back at work, home or even school.
Helping the region learn the hoops around cybersecurity
Knowing that attendees desire more than just passively listening to experts, SINCON has designed the Workshop Track for compact training courses that help attendees sharpen their expertise and careers. Furthermore, the BizComm Track will foster open conversation among cybersecurity industry leaders, professionals, practitioners, and enthusiasts to share their know-how, be it insights or tools.
Also read: Japan’s Aichi prefecture all set to build the city of the future by co-creating with startups
SINCON has put much thought into shaping a fine conference experience by forging a community vibe because it wants everyone to be equal as practitioners, instead of just as corporate representatives. Therefore, SINCON will also set up a Conference Foyer comprising Kampungs (aka Villages) as dedicated spaces for a specific domain or topic, and Capture the Flag (CTF) competitions for those up for a challenge. These villages and community events are held on the SINCON Discord channel for people to converse and share knowledge throughout the event.
Get your tickets today with an exclusive e27 offer
So, for those eager to take home fresh ideas on securing the latest technology while immersed in a participative conference environment, go over to SINCON 2021’s website at https://www.infosec-city.com/ to access all the tickets and details.
To get our exclusive e27 offer, use the coupon codes below for the respective tickets:
Open – “E27OPEN”
Standard – “E27STANDARD”
Patron – “E27PATRON”
Future attendees can also follow SINCON 2021’s social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to get the latest updates.
– –
This article was sponsored by the Centre for Cybersecurity (CFC) in support of Infosec In the City: SINCON 2021. CFC will be hosting 2 talks at the BizComm track for “How to enter cybersecurity as a career” and “What companies actually need in cybersecurity” at SINCON 2021.
The post Explore cutting-edge cybersecurity tech at SINCON 2021 appeared first on e27.