Skift Take
The Las Vegas Police Department has issued a cyber awareness advisory for two upcoming security conferences in the city.
Andrea Doyle
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It’s been nearly a year since MGM and Caesars properties were attacked by cybercriminals, and it’s also the time of year when hackers and cybersecurity experts flock to Las Vegas for two major conferences: Black Hat and DefCon.
Black Hat, held at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, concluded on Thursday. DefCon, which is expected to attract 30,000 attendees, runs through Aug. 11 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
Las Vegas law enforcement agencies are using the opportunity to spread information about cybersecurity to event attendees.
“Black Hat and DEFCON “It is known as a playground where attackers of all kinds target participants and test new techniques and tools,” the Las Vegas Police Department’s advisory said.
Additionally, Resorts World, which housed some of the attendees, told guests it would be conducting inspections of guest rooms.
“In light of the recent incidents in Las Vegas and the heightened ransomware threat to casinos and hotels on the Strip, we would like to inform all guests staying at our hotels that we will be conducting brief, scheduled, non-intrusive, daily room inspections beginning Monday, August 5, 2024, through the following week,” Resorts World said in a statement. “These inspections are standard practice at many of Las Vegas’ premier hotels. Vigilance is essential, especially during times of foreseeable heightened risk.”
Keeping your information safe
The LVMPD Cyber Investigation Group (CIG) has released some tips for keeping information safe, especially if a conference is being held in the city, some useful information for conference professionals to keep in mind.
CIG recommends having your firewall and antivirus software up and running prior to the conference, as well as backing up all data and enabling two-factor authentication.
It’s a good idea to turn off all Wi-Fi and Bluetooth during meetings, it says. It also advises using a trusted VPN or putting your phone in airplane mode. It also recommends rebooting your phone daily to remove any malware that may have been installed. It also advises avoiding using credit cards. “Cash is king,” it says.
Meetings are vulnerable because they are open events with participants using multiple devices. Kevin CoffeyThe retired Los Angeles Police Department detective and travel safety and meeting risk trainer emphasizes the importance of meeting professionals consulting with IT departments about cybersecurity. Each touchpoint in a meeting should be analyzed and potential risks discussed.
It’s not if it will happen, but when it will happen
Data privacy disclosure and enforcement should be the norm for event organizers and sponsors these days.
“Cybercrime is not going to go away, especially in recent times when professional cybercriminals from overseas have attempted multiple data breaches that have had global impact,” said Kevin Iwamoto, an executive consultant who recently retired as chief customer and corporate officer at Bizly. “All event organizers need to be constantly aware and think hard about what could happen if their event data is breached.”
Time is of the essence, so a plan of action needs to be developed, Iwamoto said. “Event professionals should think more about if this will happen, rather than when this will happen.”
Companies should regularly consult with data and cybersecurity experts to evaluate their current data protection processes and develop appropriate response plans in case a cyber attack occurs, Iwamoto added.
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