ICS-ISAC Chair to Discuss Cybersecurity with Industry Leaders

ARLINGTON, Va. - Oct. 26, 2015 - PRLog -- Chris Blask, Chair of the Industrial Control System Information Sharing and Analysis Center (ICS-ISAC) and Executive Director of Webster University’s Cyberspace Research Institute (CRI), will discuss lessons learned about cybersecurity information sharing models during the European Utility Week conference in Vienna, Austria in early November. Mr. Blask also will present at the ICS Cybersecurity Conference in Atlanta at the end of this month.

“Recently, President Obama issued an executive order through the Department of Homeland Security that encourages private companies, non-profit organizations and various agencies to share information about potential cybersecurity risks or incidents that threatened the security of stored data or computer networks,” Mr. Blask said. “At the conferences, I will elaborate on that national call and provide the audience an understanding of our progress to date, including any steps they should consider for their own security and planning purposes.”

The CRI was launched in May out of a need from local businesses and other non-profits to collaborate on security issues. It offers digital laboratories for Institute members, students and faculty to explore the most current cyberspace and security issues and threats and figure out ways to combat disruptive technologies and create collaborative research. More information about the CRI can be found at http://www.webster.edu/cyberspace-research-institute/.

European Utility Week is an annual three-day conference where more than 10,000 people gather to discuss Europe’s smart utility market, such as solar and wind power plants, recharging stations for electric vehicles, and smart meters in homes and offices that alert consumers to ways to reduce power consumption. It will be held Nov. 3 – 5.

The ICS Cybersecurity Conference will be held Oct. 26 – 29. It is the longest-running annual conference in the United States that focuses on cybersecurity. Sponsored by corporations such as Lockheed-Martin and Symantec, the conference attracts hundreds of representatives from utility, transportation, chemical, and manufacturing companies.

ICS-ISAC is a non-profit Knowledge Sharing Center that develops situational awareness about local, national and international security, and facilities the sharing of computer security information and exploration among its members. The ICS-ISAC recently merged with the CRI.

More information about the ICS Cybersecurity Conference can be found at http://www.icscybersecurityconference.com. More information about European Utility Week can be found at http://www.european-utility-week.com. More information about the ICS-ISAC can be found at http://ics-isac.org.

With its home campus in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, Webster University (www.webster.edu) comprises an action-oriented global network of faculty, staff, students and alumni who forge powerful bonds with each other and with their communities around the globe. Founded in 1915, Webster is a private non-profit university with almost 20,000 students studying at campus locations in North America, Europe, Asia and Africa and in a robust learning environment online. The university is committed to delivering high-quality learning experiences that transform students for global citizenship and individual excellence.