The Graduate School of Computer and Information Sciences is hosting weekly events throughout October to celebrate National Cyber Security Month.
Every Thursday in October at the Knight Auditorium of the Carl DeSantis Building, the school will host presentations and discussions about cyber security across various industries.
Melissa Ruidiaz, director of marketing and communications at the Graduate School of Computer and Information Sciences, said that the purpose of hosting the events is to gain awareness of cyber security at both a national and a community level, and to connect business leaders with students and alumni.
“Everybody uses the internet, everybody has mobile devices these days so being aware of cyber-security in our daily lives is very important,” Ruidiaz said.
The first two events are an FBI presentation on national cyber security awareness on Oct. 3 at 6 p.m. and a discussion titled “Raising Savvy Cyber Kids Presentation” by award-winning author Ben Halpert on Oct. 10 at 9 a.m.
The next two are a Healthcare Cyber Security Summit featuring cyber security professionals from NSU, AccessData and RSA on Oct. 17 at 4 p.m. and a webinar called “12 Simple Cyber Security Rules for Your Small Business” by Professor James Cannady on Oct. 24 at 1 p.m.
Cannady said security is about making sure that information technology does only what it’s supposed to do and nothing else.
Cannady said, “There are very few people who don’t interact with computing technology on a daily basis. Because of the prevalence and importance of the technology, we want these systems to do what they are supposed to do.”
One of the summit’s presenters, John Christly, chief information security officer at the Office of Innovation and Information Technology, believes it’s important to secure the electronic systems that enable the digital world to operate.
“Cyber security covers many areas, including protecting not only corporate and healthcare data, but also your personal information — the person behind the keyboard — whether you are at work, at home or at a coffee shop,” Christly said.
The events are free and open to the public. To register, visit scis.nova.edu/ncsam.
