ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Merit Network is proud to announce the annual MCRCon! For the third consecutive year, the Michigan Cyber Range is hosting a cybersecurity event featuring nationally-known speakers, a Capture the Flag (CTF) exercise, and a great audience of security and IT professionals from industry, academia, and government. MCRCon will be held Tuesday, May 12, 2015 from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. in Ypsilanti, Michigan.
The theme for this year’s MCRCon is business continuity and disaster recovery, focusing on activities that happen before, during and after a cybersecurity incident. As in past years, the event features presentations by industry leaders who are deeply engaged in cybersecurity. The expanded lineup of expert speakers will provide insights on cybersecurity planning, legal considerations, hacking prevention, incident handling, forensics and media affairs.
Attendees will learn strategies and tips to help them better prepare for a cybersecurity incident. Breakout sessions include: A Lawyer’s Perspective on Cybersecurity; After the Breach: Building a Resilient Enterprise; Be Prepared: A Business-Driven Approach to Managing Cyber Risk; Building a Comprehensive Incident Management Program; Hacking Prevention: Protecting the Modern Network; Why You Need to Hire a Hacker, and other exciting topics.
MCRCon features three keynote speakers, nationally-respected experts in cybersecurity:
- Jeff Moulton, director of the transformation technologies and cyber research center at Louisiana State University (LSU)
Moulton has extensive experience with network security solutions for large-scale networks. At LSU, he provides strategic direction and leadership for the cyber research center, guiding research and business development activities. He also coordinates information operations across the university and the institute. - Bob Ducharme, principal professional services engineer at Ixia
Ducharme is extremely knowledgeable in cybersecurity activities and applications. He is responsible for training and professional services for security-related activities at Ixia. Ixia provides application performance and security resilience solutions to validate, secure, and optimize businesses’ physical and virtual networks. Ducharme previously worked at Cisco Systems, where he trained thousands of customers and partners on Cisco’s security products. - Jim Jaeger, chief cyber services strategist for Fidelis Cybersecurity
Jaeger has led cyber forensics investigations into some of the largest network breaches impacting the IT industry. He is currently responsible for developing and evolving Fidelis Cybersecurity’s cyber services stratgey. He previously managed the network defense and forensics business unit, including the Digital Forensics Lab. He is a former brigadier general in the United States Air Force, and his military service includes stints as the director of intelligence (J2) for the U.S. Atlantic Command, assistant deputy director of operations at the National Security Agency, and commander of the Air Force Technical Applications Center.
Attendees have the opportunity to participate in a daylong capture the flag (CTF) competition, which will challenge them to find the most flags in the Michigan Cyber Range’s virtual world, Alphaville. CTF challenges include: forensics and incident response, data manipulation, software vulnerabilities, and social engineering. The CTF real-time scoring system will track the flags and display a leader board of scores, so participants can gauge their progress through the event.
MCRCon 2015 will be held Tuesday, May 12, 2015 from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m at the Ann Arbor Marriott Ypsilanti at Eagle Crest in Ypsilanti, Michigan.
Admission is $129. Register online at: www.merit.edu/mcrcon
MCRCon is supported by the Merit Community Supporters: ADVA Optical Networking, Cisco Systems, Data Strategy, and Juniper Networks. It is sponsored by IXIA, Choice Cyber, Consumers Energy, DTE Energy, Fidelis Cybersecurity, Michigan Economic Development Corporation, and Seccuris, an Above Security Company.
About Michigan Cyber Range
The Michigan Cyber Range was developed in partnership with the State of Michigan to provide organizations with an unclassified, secure cybersecurity environment that can be used for training exercises, security applications, software testing, and educational purposes. It is hosted and facilitated by Merit Network and is sponsored by DTE Energy. The Range prepares cybersecurity professionals to detect, prevent and mitigate cyberattacks in a real-world setting, providing simulations that test the detection and reaction skills of participants in a variety of situations. The Michigan Cyber Range also offers certification courses for a number of cybersecurity disciplines, with instruction available on-site and live online. A full training schedule may be found at the Merit Michigan Cyber Range web site: www.merit.edu/cyberrange/
About Merit Network
Merit Network Inc., is a nonprofit corporation owned and governed by Michigan’s public universities. Merit owns and operates America’s longest-running regional research and education network. In 1966, Michigan’s public universities created Merit as a shared resource to help meet their common need for networking assistance. Since its formation, Merit Network has remained on the forefront of research and education networking expertise and services. Merit provides high-performance networking and IT solutions to Michigan’s public universities, colleges, K-12 organizations, libraries, state government, healthcare, and other non-profit organizations.
For more information: www.merit.edu
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