Cyberattacks in the United States numbered more than 2,300 last year, with more than 340 million victims, according to the 2023 Annual Data Breach Report by the nonprofit Identity Theft Resource Center. Attacks take many forms, from phishing to distributed denial of service attacks, and can cost companies millions. Potential financial losses from cyberattacks last year exceeded $12.5 billion, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s 2023 Internet Crime Report. All types of businesses and organizations are affected, but small and mid-sized businesses may be particularly vulnerable.
“Cyberattacks are very costly for small- and medium-scale businesses, as they operate within tight budget constraints and limited available resources,” Shamik Sengupta, executive director of the University of ÁùºÏ±¦µä, Reno Cybersecurity Center said. “Now, if you factor in constant cyberattacks and downtime, you get the bleak picture. This conference is here to show how the Cybersecurity Center can partner with small and medium-sized businesses and help them to protect themselves.”
Cybersecurity for small and mid-sized businesses is the focus for this year’s University of ÁùºÏ±¦µä, Reno, Cybersecurity Conference, from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Nov. 12 in the Joe Crowley Student Union on the University campus. Speakers at this free event include Daniel Eliot of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), who will give the talk “Creating Small Business On-Ramps to NIST Cybersecurity Guidance.” Aaron Rose of Check Point Software Technologies will discuss the use of AI to shore up cybersecurity defenses. Conference sessions include an exploration of open-source cybersecurity tools for businesses and a discussion on the cybersecurity landscape for small businesses.
The conference is organized by the University’s Cybersecurity Center, a group of interdisciplinary faculty members working with industry partners to develop holistic solutions to cybersecurity challenges. The center participates in the cybersecurity M.S. degree program (both online and on-site); two undergraduate minors; and a cross-disciplinary graduate certificate in cybersecurity. The College of Engineering’s Bachelor of Science in computer science and engineering with a minor in cybersecurity is recognized by the National Security Agency as a Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (CAE-CD). This past summer, National Cyber Director Harry Coker, Jr., visited the Cybersecurity Center to recognize its Research Experience for Teachers (RET) program. This program for middle and high school teachers provides educators with the skills to excite their students about careers in cybersecurity.
