BSidesLondon 2017 – Sharing is indeed Caring
When airport security meets information security it’s usually BSidesLondon time. It was a great experience. And since DeepSec sponsors the Rookie Track we had a very tough decision to make. It’s really hard to pick a winner. A lot of presentations were excellent, and the presenters made the most out of the 15 minutes. The winner is Thaís for her introduction to malware analysis by using satisfiability modulo theories (SMT). If you get the chance of seeing her presenting somewhere, 
take a seat and listen to her.
We also like to recommend Colette‘s presentation titled ‘How the f**k do I get in? One woman’s struggle to break into cyber security!’. Despite the title it was not a rant, it was a clear and concise summary of the state of affairs for women in technology. We hope to hear more about this, and we encourage you to ask Colette for a presentation in case you organise an event. We did.
The motto sharing is caring is often abused, and the context in which it is used varies wildly. Chris Kubecka explained in the keynote Freaky Leaks from a Chic Geek what her understanding is. Indeed leaks are all around us. And leaks are here to stay, given that networks, software, and systems are not as airtight as advertising wants us to believe. Plus leaks are also used wildly out of context. She addressed some important issues regarding disclosure and incident reporting (or vulnerability reporting, depending on how many already know about the weakness). It’s amazing what people maintaining and „installing“ industrial controls systems can and will do. Industry 4.0 and Smart Power Plants are anything but smartly designed or implemented. Her presentation was full of examples on how to deal with information about critical weaknesses. Make sure you think about implications before they happen, regardless on which side you are on.
We shared and cared a lot. Thanks to the BSidesLondon crew, all speakers, all trainers, and all the sponsors!