Sessione plenaria: "The Evolution of System Intrusion (and the Changing Face of the Intruder) - Keynote Speaker: Mark Abene"

ore 9.00 - 10.30

From humble beginnings in the early 1980's as a microcomputer hobbyist to
present-day status as information security guru, Mark Abene has personally
witnessed a definite shift in the nature of intrusions and the motivations
behind those responsible. Throughout the 80's, computer intrusions were
by-and-large committed by curious teenagers who ultimately caused very little
actual "damage" by today's standards; these teenagers were primarily motivated
by a will to explore where others had never been, to compete with peers for
respect and prestige, and to achieve a unique understanding of an increasingly complex world.
With the arrival of the 1990's a sort of technological fear would envelope
the U.S. government: the fear of the potential for damage.  What would
follow were broad, sweeping prosecutions of computer hackers resulting in
inflated punishments which more often than not were completely disparate to
the acts committed.  While many of these hackers would ultimately transition
to security professionals in their adult life, the vacuum left behind would
come to be filled by much more desperate individuals, willing to risk the
wrath of draconian computer crime laws in the name of greed and personal profit.
At the close of the first decade of the 2000's, we've somehow become accustomed
to the notions of website extortion schemes, computer espionage, black-market
computer theft, "cyberwar" and "cyberterrorism", just to name a few.
How did we get to this point?  How do we separate reality from exaggeration?
And what can we expect in the near future?
Join Mark Abene as he reflects upon this evolutionary tale as only he can:
drawing on his unique perspective as both system intruder and security professional.