Experienced Chief Information Security Officer at The University of Alabama in Huntsville, Russ Ward, will speak at both ALAres 2020 and ACREcom20 conferences on February 6 and 7, 2020. The themes of the conferences are “Agents of Change” and “Building the Future,” respectively.
Ward’s presentation touches both themes as he dives into the world of cybersecurity and the threat it poses to the real estate industry. “Due to the connected nature of our world, cybersecurity is an increasing risk to all of us,” Ward said about his presentation. “Throughout my talk, we will discuss current cybersecurity threats and ways to mitigate the risk. We will also take a look at important cybersecurity topics such as attack surface, user awareness, password security and how to secure yourself.”
According to an FBI public announcement, Business E-mail Compromise/E-mail Account Compromise victims in the real estate sector rose over 1100% between 2015-2017 with reported monetary loss rising about 2200%. As prop tech is moving the real estate transaction increasingly online, it is imperative that real estate professionals learn how to protect their clients’ sensitive personal and financial data as well as guard against loss of funds during the transaction.
For the last 18 years, Ward has engaged in cybersecurity and the security community, preparing Department of Defense personnel, training college students and law enforcement agencies, and working with Fortune 100 corporate companies on advancing their High Performance Computing networks. He focuses on a holistic security approach, including architecture, design, forensics, auditing, and more. Ward is one of 232 people that hold GIAC’s most prestigious certification, GIAC Security Expert (GSE). He also holds 12 other professional certifications.
Click here for more information on ALAres 2020 and here for more information on ACREcom20.
