8 September 2000

INFOWARS: HACKERS MEET THE PROTECTORS AT COMPSEC 2000

Hear from some of the world's most renowned hackers and those responsible for some of the most safety-critical information infrastructures in the world at Compsec 2000 - the leading international IT security conference, 1- 3 November 2000 at the QEII Conference Centre at Westminster in London.

Covering all aspects of computer security, with a focus on e-commerce, this year's international conference - the 17th in the series - provides a unique opportunity to hear from some of the leading experts in the field. More than 50 sessions cover the management, technical and applied aspects of information and e-commerce security with one stream dedicated to case study presentations including representatives from the BBC, British Airways, British Nuclear Fuels, The Post Office, Reuters and the IT Governance Institute.

Find out who the hackers hack and why, how the protectors defend some of the world's most safety-critical computer systems against attack and hear from the leading names in cybercrime, e-commerce security and information warfare including the 'Father of the Internet' Dr Vinton Cerf.

Interviews with hackers and other speakers, including Dr Vinton Cerf, can be arranged by prior appointment via the Compsec press office (tel: 01993 831 859).

The line up includes:

R Loxley from hackphreak.org and condemned.org and Brian Martin Jericho from attrition.org are revealed as the hackers to take part in the open debate "The Hackers' War - Who the Hackers Hack and Why" chaired by Winn Schwartau, president of Interpact Inc. Quiz the hackers face-to-face and find out more about the motives and demographics behind hacker attacks.

Tim Wright, of the WAP Security Group and Vodafone takes a look at the future of WAP Security along with a reflection on issues surrounding WAP, Internet and wireless security.
Steven Philippsohn, a London solicitor and expert in Internet Fraud provides a complete overview of Trends in Cybercrime and how best to recover losses.

Keynote presentations include a look at the Growing Threat from Information Warfare by James Adams, Founder and CEO of iDEFENSE and former CEO of United Press International and e-commerce and the Insecurity of the Internet by Dr Vinton Cerf, Senior Vice President for Internet Architecture and Technology at Worldcom Inc.

Keynote speaker biographies (to arrange an interview call Karen at the Compsec press office on 01993 831 859)

Dr Vinton Cerf is widely known as the 'Father of the Internet' as the codesigner of the TCP/IP protocol that gave birth to the worldwide network. In addition to his work on behalf of WorldCom and the Internet, Cerf appears on television programmes including NextWave with Leonard Nimoy and on World Business Review with Alexander Haig. He also holds an appointment as distinguished visiting scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory where he is working on the design of an interplanetary Internet.

James Adams is co-founder of iDEFENSE and a world authority on national security issues. He was previously CEO of United Press International where under his leadership, the ageing news wire repositioned itself to become a 21st Century knowledge provider. James also had a long career at the London Sunday Times where, as Managing Editor, he was responsible for helping to transform the fortunes of the company by introducing modern information systems and business practices. He lectures frequently and has published 12 books on intelligence and covert warfare.

Compsec 2000 takes place at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, Westminster, London, 1-3 November 2000. In addition to the conference sessions, leading security companies will be exhibiting their latest IT security products at the Compsec exhibition. Two half-day workshops in advance of the conference led by Dr Bill Hancock provide the opportunity to focus on the protection of networks and look at what it takes to set up and manage an incident response facility.

To set up interviews, arrange press passes or for further information, including photos of the keynote speakers, contact Karen Purvis on 01993 831859 / bluezulu@dial.pipex.com.