Cybersecurity is a hot topic in DC, and everyone is building an agenda on it. That’s only going to increase as more high profile breaches and vulnerabilities hit the headlines, and technology becomes more pervasive in our lives. This legislation impacts our community, and as experts in a field that is complex and often misunderstood, we have an important role to play in educating law makers and helping them reach positive outcomes, and mitigate negative ones. This talk will provide an overview of the legislative landscape for cybersecurity, and investigatd how it really affects our industry and community. We will cover current proposals likely to pass, as well as law that is already impacting the security community, such as the CFAA and DMCA. We will also discuss how you can get involved.
Jen Ellis is the senior director of Community and Public Affairs at Rapid7 and spends most of her time trying to build productive collaboration between those in the security community and those operating outside it. Much of this revolves around educating the Government on security issues to try to positively shape legislation and other initiatives that may impact the security community. She also works extensively with security researchers to help get the word out about threats so they can be properly understood and mitigated. Her primary goal is to reform the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act to protect security research, and the thing that keeps her up at night is the fear that the security community won’t get out of its own way to create a safer future. That and the rise of the machines. She has spoken at a number of industry events including HOPE, Derbycon, SOURCE, various BSides.