PRESS RELEASE

Retail & Hospitality ISAC and Security Innovation to Host Inaugural Security Awareness Symposium

The virtual event on Oct. 26 will offer multiple sessions, hands-on training exercises for both technical and non-technical audiences, and speakers from leading corporations.
Security Awareness Symposium Logo

Vienna, VA (October 5, 2021) – The Retail & Hospitality Information Sharing and Analysis Center (RH-ISAC) announced today it is partnering with Security Innovation to provide in-depth cybersecurity training for employees across the retail and hospitality sector during Cybersecurity Awareness Month this October.

The inaugural Security Awareness Symposium is a virtual, full-day event that will take place on Tuesday, October 26, and is ideal for general employees, IT personnel, and security partners across the organization. The morning program includes different sessions on “The Future of Secure Work” and “Phishing & Social Engineering” while the afternoon program provides hands-on training for technical and non-technical staff.

For the technical track, Security Innovation will provide a hands-on hacking challenge leveraging Shred Skateboards, one of their CMD+CTRL Web Application Cyber Ranges. Shred is a fully functional eCommerce platform that represents the threats and attacks commonly seen in Retail & Hospitality IT systems. With over 35 different vulnerabilities, players try to buy items in an unintended way, crack passwords, tamper with other users’ functionality, and conduct other nefarious acts. This hands-on experience builds an attack mentality and reinforces the implications of insecure software development practices.

The closing keynote will feature a panel discussion about the growing risk that third-party and supply chain vendors can create for organizations. Ed Adams, CEO of Security Innovation, will moderate and the panelists will be Kara Gunderson, Director of Payment Card Operations at CITGO Petroleum, Mark Carl, Chief Security Officer of PDI Software, and Devon Bryan, Global Chief Information Security Officer of Carnival Cruise Line.

“We are excited to have Security Innovation as the title sponsor of the RH-ISAC Security Awareness Symposium,” said Suzie Squier, president of the RH-ISAC. “They bring deep experience to the event, particularly for companies seeking to understand what vulnerabilities may exist on their eCommerce site. This is an incredible opportunity for those in product security to gain real-world experience in a fun and engaging way.”

The idea for the symposium grew from the RH-ISAC’s Security Awareness Working Group, which meets bi-monthly to discuss ways to develop a security-minded culture within their organizations. The symposium provides these practitioners, who may not have the budget or resources, with several ways to engage employees during Cybersecurity Awareness Month or to add it to their own respective calendar of events in October. Participants may attend a single presentation or multiple sessions as appropriate for their job function and training needs.

“The retail and hospitality industry continues to be a target of cybersecurity attacks. RH-ISAC is doing outstanding work sharing valuable cybersecurity practices across its membership,” said Ed Adams, President, and CEO of Security Innovation. “We are thrilled to be a part of this event that is addressing software security awareness at both the business and technical level.”

Registration is open to all companies that are currently RH-ISAC members as well as non-member organizations in the retail, hospitality, and travel sector, including retailers, restaurants, hotels, gaming casinos, food retailers, consumer products, and other consumer-facing companies. Visit dev.hmgcreative.com/rh/SecurityAwareness for more event information and to register.

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