Agenda:

2:30 - 3:00, Check in and Networking

3:00 – 3:15, Opening Remarks

3:15 – 4:00, Speaker 1:  Ross Haleliuk, Builder & Best Selling Author

4:00 - 4:45, Speaker 2:  Sebastiaan Gybels, CISO of CoinFlip

4:45 – 5:00, Closing Comments 

5:00 - 5:30, Volunteer Social    

Speaker 1:  Ross Haleliuk, Builder & Best Selling Author

Ross will do a book signing Cyber for Builders and members will receive a ticket for the book giveaway.

BIO: "Ross is a cybersecurity leader and a co-founder of a startup in stealth mode. Outside of work, Ross is a startup advisor, angel investor, and a frequent contributor to leading tech media, such as TechCrunch, Forbes, VentureBeat, and Dark Reading. Ross is an author of ‘Venture in Security’, an award-winning blog with over 500,000 annual readers. He is widely regarded as the number one independent source about the business side of cybersecurity. His book, ‘Cyber for Builders: The Essential Guide to Building a Cybersecurity Startup’, became an instant Amazon best seller and is recognized as a critical read for aspiring and early-stage security entrepreneurs and experienced founders alike.

Topic Title: Cybersecurity is not a market for lemons. It is a market for silver bullets.

Topic Abstract: There is a common belief in the industry that security is a market where one side (namely, the security vendors) has substantially more information than the other (the buyers). This is often referred to as a market for lemons. In this talk, I am going to discuss why security is not at all a market for lemons; instead, it is a market for silver bullets. This means that neither the buyers nor the sellers know what they are buying or selling. There are several ways in which this manifests itself, including the following:

• There is no way to reliably test security solutions (buyers don't fully know what they are buying).
• Since buyers cannot evaluate security products, they have little choice but to look for other signals (funding, founder backgrounds & reputation, etc.).

We will discuss the implications of security being a market for silver bullets for buyers and, what we as an industry and a collective, can do to navigate that. The original concept is borrowed and adapted from an essay written by Ian Grigg back in 2008 titled “The Market for Silver Bullets”.

Speaker #2:  Sebastiaan Gybels, CISO of CoinFlip

Topic Title: Taming SaaS Risks in the Digital Age

Topic Abstract: The rapid adoption of SaaS applications has created a new frontier for cyber threats. This session explores the hidden dangers lurking in SaaS solutions and provides guidance for managing the associated risks. To truly achieve success, the mission of the business needs to be well understood, and security tools can be leveraged to be an advantage to drive down not only risk but also optimize cost and increase operational efficiency within your organization. Throughout this session, we will touch on several key aspects:

• Uncover hidden risks: Identify the unique security challenges associated with SaaS applications, including vendor management, data security, and misconfigurations.
• Assess vendor security: Collaboratively develop a robust vendor due diligence process to evaluate security practices, certifications, and incident response capabilities.
• Implement essential safeguards: Discover practical strategies for implementing access controls, data security measures, and configuration management best practices.
• Maintain continuous vigilance: Establish procedures for ongoing monitoring, incident response, and regular security assessments to proactively address threats.
• Discover how to assess vendor security: Implement essential safeguards, and maintain continuous vigilance to reduce the risk of data breaches and identify issues in a timely manner.

Bio: Sebastiaan Gybels is an accomplished technology leader with over 20 years of experience in Cybersecurity and IT. As the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) and Chief Information Officer (CIO) at CoinFlip, he spearheaded global IT and cybersecurity initiatives, driving innovation, compliance, and operational excellence. Recognized for his expertise in security frameworks, risk management, and regulatory compliance, Sebastiaan has built and led robust security programs for global financial institutions and helped regulators establish comprehensive Cybersecurity assessment programs. A nominee for both CIO and CISO of the year, he is passionate about fostering collaborative cultures and advancing security best practices.