SAN FRANCISCO—The Moscone Center here will soon be filled with security industry vendors and potential clients for the RSA Conference.
The annual show largely focuses on show floor deals and lengthy discussions of enterprise security technology, but there are many fascinating and frightening presentations to look forward to as well.
Government, Spies, and Encryption
With the rise of cyber crime and nation-states flexing their muscles online, the conference has recently become a premier soap box for members of the US government and law enforcement.
Previous shows have hosted a US attorney general, the head of the FBI, and others, and RSA 2020 will feature a keynote from Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Director Christopher C.
Krebs.
Some of those past presentations focused on a desire to create backdoors in encryption systems for law enforcement and intelligence agencies.
While these groups argue that encryption shields bad guys, industry and experts have repeatedly pushed back against such efforts.
Some sessions this year will touch on the importance of strong encryption systems, which isn't too surprising considering that the RSA Conference takes its name from an encryption system.
The annual Cryptographer's Panel shouldn't be missed, in no small part because it includes Whitfield Diffie (of the Diffie-Hellman key exchange) as well as Ron Rivest and Adi Shamir (the "R" and "S" in RSA).
With the US presidential election later this year, foreign interference is featuring in several conference sessions.
Researchers, government officials, and electoral experts are participating in several sessions about how to secure elections and what shenanigans have been seen so far.
A frequent theme from previous shows has been a call for more paper ballots and mandatory post-election audits.
In a similar vein, the FBI is presenting its investigations into bogus social media accounts.
These can be used for social engineering, but also as a means to spread misinformation.
Here's hoping they have some good solutions.
No security conference would be complete without a look at what American adversaries are up to in cyberspace.
While Russia may be in the headlines for its online operations, it's far from alone.
Several sessions focus on China, which is the primary target of the US trade war and an ongoing fight for 5G dominance.
After a deadly back-and-forth with the US, it's not surprising that Iran is also popping up as a conference subject.
Don't Worry, There Are Hacks, Too
Black Hat and Defcon don't have a monopoly on clever attacks.
The RSA Conference may be more highbrow, but it's still a place to show off security research.
Internet of Things (IoT) vulnerabilities continues to be an evergreen topic, as are voice assistants.
Researchers love to go after "air-gaps"—which is where a secure computer or device is physically separated from the internet to prevent attacks.
In some ways it's the ultimate challenge: how do you get information off a machine that can't be touched? This year boasts researchers attacking printers with drone-borne lasers and using the fans in a computer to "musically" transmit information.
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Coronavirus Looms Large
Normally, the only viruses that are a concern at the RSA Conference are malware, but this year the coronavirus is casting a pall over the event.
AT&T, IBM, and Verizon are among the biggest vendors to have pulled out of the show, but over a dozen companies have canceled, according to the show's organizers.
Despite those absences, it seems as if the conference is still on.
That's a relief, considering that Mobile World Congress was canceled over coronavirus fears.
But while the show might go on, there will be some changes.
The show's organizers say there may be, "CDC health screenings for qualified travelers arriving from international destinations at the San Francisco International Airport."
No matter the risks—cyber or illness—Daxdi will be reporting from the RSA Conference.
Be sure to check back for all our stories.
