Sharing Best Practices
Demetrios (Laz) Lazarikos, career CISO, AI researcher, and business advisor, presents at the 2024 UC Cyber Security Summit.
In today’s rapidly evolving threat landscape, conferences and other gatherings play a critical role in strengthening a university’s cybersecurity defenses. These events provide valuable opportunities for cybersecurity professionals to stay ahead of emerging threats, share best practices, and gain insights from industry experts and peer institutions.
In addition, gatherings yield significant tangible outcomes. At UC, cohort-led discussions, expert-led sessions, and UC-specific conferences result in actionable insights, such as implementing best practices and updating training programs. These outcomes go beyond mere conversation, driving the adoption of new strategies that mitigate risks and improve UC’s ability to respond to cyber threats. Events aren’t just a platform for exchanging ideas—they’re catalysts for implementing meaningful changes that strengthen cybersecurity systemwide.
Some of the many gatherings this year included:
- UC Cyber Security Summit
- AI Academic Congress
- 2024 UC Tech Annual Conference
- UC Berkeley’s IS-3 Risk Assessment Journey
- UC Berkeley’s Running a Successful Tabletop Exercise: Demystifying the Process and Offering Practical Tips for All Levels
- Journey to Develop an IT Accessibility Program for UC Merced and UC Santa Cruz
- UC San Francisco: Unraveling Potentials and Pitfalls of AI, One Experiment at a Time
- 2024 Ethics, Compliance and Audit Symposium
- Fireside Chat with US Attorney: Collaboration with DOJ in Safeguarding the UC
- UC Irvine’s Software/IT Services Vendor Risk Reviews: Lessons Learned and Future Opportunities
- UC Berkeley and UC Office of the President: Cyber Risk Ownership and Acceptance, UC Best Practices & Example Use Cases
On October 9, 2024, over 200 professionals gathered at UC Irvine for the 15th Cyber Security Summit. Through presentations and collaborative discussions, this event furthers our collective mission of research, education, and public service. Presenters included experts from various fields, such as customer service, data breach resolution, and systems engineering. Presentations covered resource constraints, alert fatigue, sensitive data protection, the cyberattack industry, and responsible AI and machine learning. The event was a valuable opportunity to reconnect, build new relationships, and inspire cybersecurity advancements.
Attendee Data
50% First time
15% 4+ Summits
Satisfaction Results
95% of participants were very satisfied or satisfied with the overall event
95% of participants were extremely likely or likely to attend and recommend our summits to a colleague
October marks cybersecurity awareness month, a time dedicated to raising awareness about the growing importance of protecting personal and organizational digital assets. This year’s campaign, Protecting Our Digital Lives, included discussions and themes around the evolving role and presence of AI in our lives. While AI can keep us safe online, it’s important to remember that cybercriminals can exploit it for malicious purposes.
Through webinars, expert discussions, and interactive sessions, participants learned how to protect their personal information and professional data, while understanding the evolving threats posed by advanced technologies. The campaign underscored the importance of staying informed and being proactive in a rapidly changing digital landscape.
Cybersecurity awareness month events Included:
- So You Think You Know IT Security - a knowledge contest where attendees answer a variety of questions related to keeping UC’s data and computing devices safe and secure.
- You Didn’t See It Coming: Cyber Risk in Higher Education - a presentation by former UC Santa Barbara CISO, Matthew Hall, on the rapidly evolving landscape of cyber threats facing universities and colleges.
- Hot Tips for Being Cyber Safe in Today’s Threat Environment - a presentation by Morgan Adamski, Executive Director of U.S. Cyber Command, about the latest cyber threats to national security and our roles in protecting ourselves and the United States.
- Privacy, AI, and Cyberlaw 101 - a discussion on how we approach data protection and governance, given the increased convergence of privacy, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence.
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The semi-truck at the Cyber Security Summit. |
Cyber@UCI Club members inside the semi-truck. |
"Helping the new generation understand key cybersecurity concepts and the different aspects of this field is incredibly rewarding. We didn’t have these opportunities growing up, so seeing the students engage so deeply is exciting."
—Tony Alafar, Software Engineer and Tour Leader
In celebration of Cybersecurity Awareness Month and in conjunction with the UC Cyber Security Summit held this year at UC Irvine, members of the Cyber@UCI Club toured a high-tech cybersecurity command center housed in a semi-truck provided by one of our partners.
The hands-on experience exposed students to advanced cybersecurity technologies and real- world scenarios. The student-led Cyber@UCI Club supports career readiness in cybersecurity by offering skill-building opportunities, peer collaboration, and professional engagement. During the tour led by industry experts, students explored both virtual and physical displays of top threat detection systems, firewalls, and security platforms. The experts also shared insights into practical defense tools, emerging trends, and career pathways.
This event showcased the value of partnerships between academia and industry in preparing the next generation of cybersecurity professionals.
“Our takeaway is that this event made it clear that students are pretty eager to learn more about what industry is like and how to best prep for it beyond coursework, so we will be aiming to help facilitate this more,” said Steven Ngo, a representative of Cyber@UCI Club.
"Having professionals care about our education and success is encouraging. It reinforces my belief that cybersecurity is the future and that we’re stepping into an important, growing field."
—Cara Failer, Graduating Fourth-Year Software Engineering Major and Cyber@UCI Club Member
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As AI technology continues to advance rapidly, UC is at the forefront, driving discussions and initiatives through various working groups, committees, and collaborative efforts focused on the role AI plays in education.
In February 2024, a diverse assembly of experts from across UC’s 10 campuses, three national labs, and six academic health centers convened to explore the university’s role in shaping AI for the public good. UC’s Provost, Katherine S. Newman, and UC Chief Information Officer, Van Williams, hosted “What the Future Holds: A UC Congress on the Impact and Promise of Artificial Intelligence.” UC leaders in attendance included President Michael V. Drake and former university president Janet Napolitano. The event featured keynote speakers, panelists, and others who presented research on AI’s effect on labor markets and the broader economy, the role of UC in protecting data privacy, algorithmic bias, and how to best prepare students for the workforce given these important new developments.
Source: https://uctechnews.ucop.edu/2024-uc-academic-congress-on-artificial-intelligence-ai/.
Conference Takeaways
- UC has been in the vanguard of AI research and application for the last 30 years— since UC Berkeley professors Stuart Russell and Peter Norvig wrote the fundamental textbook for AI in 1995.
- The University has demonstrated its leadership in addressing the governance of AI within the university context, starting with the UC Presidential Working Group on Responsible AI, launched by President Drake in fall 2020.
- While AI holds promise for enhancing productivity, accuracy, and efficiency, addressing key challenges such as excessive automation and information monopolization and manipulation is crucial to ensure that AI benefits society as a whole.
- By fostering a nuanced understanding of AI’s scope, policymakers, businesses, academia, and individuals can navigate the future of work, education, research, and patient care in the era of AI more effectively.
- Participants welcome the opportunity to continue the conversation. Next, the UC AI Council aims to establish a baseline set of principles for AI governance, coordinate with various stakeholders, harmonize definitions across campuses, and provide a central resource for AI-related information.
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