Troy Berg (ICT department), David Birch (IT Department), Ajitesh Parihar and Kristina Cormier (Computer Science), Okanagan College

Siarhei Fedarovich, Julia Kanaikina, and Lapko Tsimafei
IBA Group

Cybersecurity Workshop at Okanagan College

Time & Date: 09:00 a.m. – 5 p.m., August 7th, 2024
Location: Room HS-101 and online in Zoom, Computer Science Department, Okanagan College (in-person and online), supported by IEEE Okanagan Subsection and Okanagan College
Registration (is open now): https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/424539 

Abstract:

With the ever-increasing rate of cyber-attacks and data breaches, it has become essential for everyone to be aware of at least the basics of cybersecurity to safeguard themselves from harm. With this workshop, we aim to equip people with knowledge of techniques used by attackers and ways to defend against them, along with best practices for working with sensitive data. The workshop will include sessions by industry experts and demonstrations for practical applications of cybersecurity concepts and tools. Students will demonstrate cybersecurity-related topics (TBA).

Our invited speakers and demonstrations will cover the following topics:

• Best practices for safeguarding against cyber attacks
• Importance of good policies for cyber security at organizations
• Online Privacy
• Data encryption and decryption techniques
• Data anonymization and deanonymization for researchers
• Impact of cyber-criminal organizations on businesses and governments
• Penetration testing for vulnerability mitigation

The Workshop Agenda:

1. Welcome and Opening Remarks (9:00 am – 9:15 am)
2. David Birch, IT Services/Security Manager, Okanagan College: General Security Issues and How That Relates to Research Problems (9:15 am – 10:00 am)
3. Coffee Break (10:00 am – 10:15 am)
4. An Invited Speaker from Industry — IBA Group: Security Testing: The Cost of Inaction
   (10:15 am – 11:00 am)
   1. CIA triad and its essential components: confidentiality, integrity, and availability
   2. All types of Security Testing, namely penetration testing, vulnerability assessment, compliance testing, code review, risk assessment, and social engineering
   3. Different Security Testing methods, including black box, white box, and gray box
   4. OWASP Top 10 and how these vulnerabilities can be identified and remediated
   5. Flow of Security Testing: from onboarding and scoping the project to reporting and analyzing test results and providing further support.
   6. We’ll also analyze real-life incidents in software development involving famous big brands, discussing the cost of these cases and the lessons learned from them.
5. Coffee Break (11:00 am – 11:15 am)
6. Demonstration from Industry, IBA Group (11:15 pm – 11:45 am).
7. Ajitesh Parihar, COSC, OC: Data breach exploration and password cracking (11:45 am – 12:30 pm — Databreach_and_Password_Cracking)
8. Lunch Break (12:30 pm – 1:15 pm – on your own)
9. An Invited Speaker from Academia. Troy Berg (ICT, OC): Human Issues in Cybersecurity: Challenging Faulty Assumptions and Cognitive Biases (1:15 am – 2:15 pm)
10. Coffee break (2:15 pm – 2:35 pm)
11. Ajitesh Parihar, COSC, OC: AWS Academy Platform for education and DRI for research requirements (2:35 pm – 3:00 pm — AWS_Academy_and_DRI_Resources)
12. Kristina Cormier & Ajitesh Parihar: Platform security practices demonstrated through Oracle Cloud (3:00 pm – 3:45 pm — Platform_Security in Oracle_Cloud)
13. Round Table and Pizza (3:45 pm – 5 pm)

Bios:

Troy Berg’s professional world is an exciting blend of academia and practical fieldwork. He is living the IT professional’s dream.

Troy is a professor and chair of the Infrastructure and Computing Technology Department at Okanagan College in Kelowna, BC, where he shares his passion for technology by teaching server administration, enterprise network management, cybersecurity, ethical hacking, and project management. His ongoing goal is to engage, educate, mentor, and inspire new IT professionals in a fun, dynamic, student-centred learning environment.

Alongside his academic persona, Troy captains a private IT training and consulting business. He provides practical and innovative solutions that allow his clients to leverage IT opportunities and turn technology into a competitive advantage.

Troy’s IT toolkit includes nearly 20 years of industry experience, a diploma in Network and Telecommunications Engineering, a Bachelor of Applied Information Systems Technology in Network Management, and numerous industry accreditations, including his Cisco Certified Network Associate (RS), Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner, AWS Certified Solutions Architect, CompTIA Network+ and Security+ certifications. Troy is also a certified Cisco Networking Academy instructor for A+, CCNA, and CCNA-Security curricula.

David Birch has been at Okanagan College for over 7 years, has a B.Sc. in Computer Science accompanied by CISSP and Associate C|CISO security certifications, and brings over 30 years of diverse IT industry experience from the private and public sectors to the College.

As the Manager of IT Security, Dave leads the IT Services cybersecurity team to oversee the Security Operations Center (SOC) and overall IT Security program. Dave is also an active member of several BCNet Higher Education Security steering committees and working groups, the sitting chair of the Distributed Cybersecurity Incident Response Team (DCSIRT) and was a lead member of the incident response effort during the Okanagan College ransomware event in January 2023.

Ajitesh Parihar is a four-year Computer Science student and a Research Assistant at Okanagan College. He is a tech enthusiast who enjoys learning about innovations and technologies and is passionate about software engineering, cyber security, and algorithms. Ajitesh is excited to get more involved as a Board Member of the IEEE Student Branch and to meet and work with talented individuals.

Kristina Cormier is a third-year Computer Science student at Okanagan College. She has a nursing background and recently discovered a passion for machine learning algorithms. Kristina is a board member of the Okanagan College IEEE Student Branch. She assists with organizing events and volunteering. Kristina truly enjoys being a mentor and helping others.

Siarhei Fedarovich
A renowned Program and Project Manager with vast expertise in devising cybersecurity strategies. He has a Master of Engineering degree and 13+ years of experience in IT software development and management. Siarhei has been delivering cybersecurity solutions since 2022.

Julia Kanaikina joined IBA Group as a Software Developer in 2009 and was soon promoted to Project Manager. Since then, she has been key in various Mainframe system development projects for industry leaders such as IBM, Fujitsu, and Rocket. Due to her exceptional performance and comprehensive understanding of the software development process, she was promoted to Delivery Manager in 2022.

Lapko Tsimafei is a DevSecOps specialist with over 14 years of experience in software development, testing, security and operations.

Sergii Baibara currently serves as the Director of IBA BGroup, a Regional office of IBA Group, a position he has held since July 2012. IBA Group—30 years in IT business, started as a JV with IBM. He has 26 years of experience in the IT software business, Including S&T AG and SAS Institute. Sergii has been developing RPA practices since 2016.

For further information, please get in touch with Youry Khmelevsky (email: Youry at IEEE.org) and subscribe to the news at okanagan@listserv.ieee.org
Refreshments will be provided