Cybersecurity Symposium Gathers IT Professionals at UChicago

As part of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, IT Services hosted the Cybersecurity Symposium on October 24. The full-day event brought together University leaders, IT experts, and distinguished faculty to discuss the ever-evolving landscape of cybersecurity.

More than 140 faculty and staff attended the Symposium, which offered two dynamic learning tracks: Core Security Concepts and Research Security. These tracks comprised a total of 10 informative sessions, complemented by opening remarks, a keynote address from Samuel L. Volchenboum, MD, PhD, MS, Associate Professor of Pediatrics; Associate Director, Institute for Translational Medicine; Associate Chief, Research Informatics Officer; Dean of Master’s Education, a lunchtime panel discussion, and closing remarks.

Some of the standout sessions included:

• How to Protect your Data from Insider Threats by Jay Patel, Assistant Special Agent in Charge, FBI Chicago Field Office

• Ask a CISO by Matt Morton, CISSP, HCISPP, CISM, CGEIT, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), and Les McCollum II, MPS-CRM, CISO, UChicago Medicine

• The Human Firewall: Defending Against Social Engineering Attacks by Kendall Williams, Information Security Engineer, and Craig Drake, CISSP, GCIH, GMON, MCSE, Information Security Engineer.

• Password Research: The Intersection of Human Computer Interaction, Privacy, and Security by Blase Ur, PhD, Neubauer Family Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science

• Keynote: The Convergence of Security and Research by Samuel L. Volchenboum, MD, PhD, MS, Associate Professor of Pediatrics; Associate Director, Institute for Translational Medicine; Associate Chief, Research Informatics Officer; Dean of Master’s Education

The event concluded in a dessert hour that allowed faculty and staff the opportunity to network, engage in meaningful discussions, and reflect on the day's valuable insights.