By working together, organisations and nations can turn the tide on cybercriminals and emerge stronger and more resilient, says GISEC 2023 organiser DWTC’s Trixie LohMirmand
GISEC Global 2023, the Middle East’s largest and most impactful cybersecurity event, is set to host an exciting line-up of features, from live cyber competitions to deep-dive discussions on industry trends.
Running under the theme ‘Connecting minds, boosting cyber resilience,’ will welcome more than 35,000 visitors from 100-plus countries.
“GISEC Global paves the way for regional organisations to demystify the complex cyber threat landscape and unearth real-world solutions from global experts to build cyber-resilient digital businesses,” said Trixie LohMirmand, Executive Vice President for Events Management at DWTC.
She added, “We believe that working together within broad ecosystems, with the help of the advanced solutions displayed at GISEC Global, organisations and nations can turn the tide on cybercriminals and emerge stronger and more resilient.”
Here are three key features to watch at GISEC 2023:
Hack-O-Sphere
More than 1,000 ethical hackers will face off against real-world threats at the fully immersive Hack-O-Sphere arena.
The showcase features a series of thrilling live cyber competitions, free certified training sessions from SANS and EC Council, and an exclusive first-hand look at the UAE Cybersecurity Council’s cutting-edge National Security Operations Centre.
Headlining the main act is the inaugural CyTaka World Cyber Championship, delivered by Israeli-based CyTaka in partnership with the UAE Cybersecurity Council and CyberGate. Participants will get a chance to win $1 million in what will be the world’s most valuable Capture the Flag (CTF) cyber challenge.
CyTaka’s CEO and founder Doron Amir, said the anonymity of cyber-attacks means cross-border collaboration is critical.
“The cyber enemy is anonymous and can attack anyone. Cyber criminals don’t care where victims were born or what their nationality is,” he said.
World’s leading cyber minds
Over 300 leading ethical hackers and InfoSec speakers will headline hacking sessions and panel discussions, deep-diving into the most pressing cybersecurity challenges affecting enterprises and governments. The show’s most comprehensive conference programme yet features 200-plus hours of immersive content spread across six halls and nine stages – Main Stage, Government Stage, The Global Cybersecurity Congress, Critical Infrastructure Dome, Dark Stage, Nation Stage, Cyber Stars, Xlabs, INSPIRE, Hack360, and the Academy.
Among the the most notable speakers are Joe ‘Kingpin’ Grand, a cyber security legend who hacked a US$2 million crypto wallet; Hieu Ngo, a reformed fraudster who single-handedly stole the personal data of 200 million US citizens; Bryce Case Jr. aka ‘Ytcracker’, a US-based Hacker and Entrepreneur, who gained notoriety for defacing the website of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Centre; and Jayson E. Street, a US-based world-class hacker & author who notoriously robbed banks across five continents.
UnLock – unearthing the next cyber unicorn
Nearly 100 cybersecurity start-ups will pitch their innovative solutions at the GISEC Cyber Stars Pitch Competition, connecting with government officials, investors, IT security and corporate buyers, mentors, prospects and influential disruptors. With a prize pool of AED100,000 cash, winners of the Best Global Start-up, Best Regional Start-up, and Most Innovative Idea categories could be on their way to becoming the next cyber unicorn.
The live pitch competition arrives as the investment in the cybersecurity sector continues to dominate the global start-up ecosystem, with $79 billion of venture capital raised for cybersecurity start-ups across more than 4,200 deals since 2018, according to financial advisory firm, Momentum Cyber.