New York, NY – As the need to protect individuals and organizations against threats of cyber attacks continues to increase, New York Institute of Technology's annual cyber security conference will bring together experts from the security industry, government, and academia to foster dialogue and developments around increasingly complex challenges faced by the cyber security community.

The Fourth Annual Cyber Security Conference, hosted by NYIT's School of Engineering and Computing Sciences, will be held on Thursday, Sept. 19, from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. at NYIT's Auditorium on Broadway (between 60th and 61st Streets) in New York City.

This year's conference agenda will address a broad range of topics, including:

• Privacy, and Cyber Threats to Mobile and Personal Devices
• The Protection of Individuals and Organizations against Cyber Attacks
• Biometrics and Big Data Analytics as Cyber Defense Tools
• Cyber Education and Careers

Keynote speakers include Debora Plunkett, a national leader in security protection and defense and the focal point for cyber security, cryptography, and information systems security for the United States' critical systems. She is director of the Information Assurance Directorate at the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA). Dr. Gary McGraw, CTO, Cigital Inc., is a globally recognized authority on software security and author of the groundbreaking and best-selling books including Building Secure Software, Exploiting Software, and Exploiting Online Games. He will address "Bug Parades, Zombies, and the BSIMM: A Decade of Software."

An afternoon panel debating "Biometrics and Big Data Analytics as Cyber Defense Tools?" will feature John B. Sapp Jr., Senior Director, Information Security Product Management & Innovation at McKesson Corporation; and Arnold Felberbaum, Chief IT Security and Compliance Officer at Reed Elsevier.

Other confirmed speakers include Dr. Jeremy Epstein, Program Officer, Secure and Trustworthy Cyberspace Program, National Science Foundation, who will present on "Combating 21st Century Pirates & Swashbucklers: National Science Foundation Secure & Trustworthy Cyberspace." Lena Smart, Chief Information Security Officer, New York Power Authority, will speak on "How is it Done: The Protection of Individuals, Organizations and Infrastructure against Cyber-Attacks."

To conclude the day, a panel will be held for high school students and their parents to focus on the growth in career opportunities in the cyber security world. Panelists include:

• Rob Marano, Founder, The Hackerati
• Robert Wild, Intelligent Product Solutions
• Larry Karantzios, Senior Systems Engineer, Global Financial Services, Juniper Networks
• Brad Antoniewicz (B.S. Computer Science '11), Foundstone Research Group, McAfee/Intel
• Judith Murrah, CIO, Applied DNA Sciences and Director, Connect-to-Tech

Nada Marie Anid, Ph.D., Dean of NYIT'sSchool of Engineering, will open the conference. She noted, "As a global university educating students across borders, NYIT is committed to helping spur productive dialogue on critical issues and raising awareness to find solutions, as well as training students to join the ranks of those organizations and institutions fighting cyber crime." NYIT offers a concentration in Internet Security for computer science and information technology majors in addition to a master's program in Information, Network, and Computer Security, taught by faculty that have been awarded prestigious research grants in biometrics, swarm intelligence, cryptography, mobile, and cyber security.

Additionally, NYIT's School of Engineering and Computing Sciences recently has received formal validation for various cyber security course offerings from the Committee on National Security Systems (CNSS), an organization with representation from 21 U.S. government executive branch departments and agencies. The validation recognizes that select courseware meets all CNSS National Training Standards for both Information Systems Security (INFOSEC) professionals and System Administrators. The Information Assurance Courseware Evaluation (IACE) Program, part of the National Security Agency (NSA), validated NYIT's courseware as part of its role to ensure consistency in training and education for the information assurance skills that are critical to our nation.

Engineers/IT specialists in attendance are eligible to receive five Professional Development Hours.

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About NYIT

New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) offers 90 degree programs, including undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees, in more than 50 fields of study, including architecture and design; arts and sciences; education; engineering and computing sciences; health professions; management; and osteopathic medicine. A non-profit independent, private institution of higher education, NYIT has 13,000 students attending campuses on Long Island and Manhattan, online, and at its global campuses. NYIT sponsors 11 NCAA Division II programs and one Division I team.

Led by President Edward Guiliano, NYIT is guided by its mission to provide career-oriented professional education, offer access to opportunity to all qualified students, and support applications-oriented research that benefits the larger world. To date, nearly 95,000 graduates have received degrees from NYIT. For more information, visit nyit.edu.

Elizabeth Sullivan
Public Relations Strategist
516.686.3761