Welcome to the new section of our blog, "Expert Interviews". Our interviewee this time is one of the world's most well-known infosecurity expert, Gary Miliefsky, Executive Producer at Cyber Defense Magazine, member of Board of Directors at National Information Security Group. We would like to thank him for taking the time to share his insights with us on current infosec issues despite his very busy schedule.
Gary has been an extremely dedicated and passionate proponent of cyber- and infosecurity for 20+ years. He has gained extensive experience and knowledge by working on numerous projects, including working with the DHS and White House. He is well-known for his major involvements as Executive Producer at Cyber Defense Magazine, the premier source for IT security knowledge, and as organizer and speaker at the RSA conference, the world's largest infosec conference, of which Cyber Defense Magazine is an annual sponsor.
Please read our interview with Gary below.
"Learn Counterveillance. The old days of antivirus and firewall doing all the work to protect you are over."
East-Tec: Could you give us a brief history of Cyber Defense Magazine?
Gary Miliefsky: Cyber Defense Magazine (CDM) was founded in September of 2012 to fill a major gap in the information security marketplace for knowledge sharing. Cyber Defense Magazine is by ETHICAL, HONEST,PASSIONATE information security professionals for IT Security professionals.
East-Tec: CDM is also a sponsor of the RSA conference. Tell us about CDM's involvement in this year's conference.
Gary Miliefsky: CDM will continue to be an annual sponsor each year because with 30,000 attendees and growing, it has become the world's largest infosec conference. It's well run and not only provides an amazing exhibitor venue for the latest and greatest infosec solutions, it has some of the top speakers in the world on various subjects such as antivirus, firewall, cryptography, malware, cloud computing, vulnerability management, privacy and so much more. We deliver print editions to the RSA Conference and we ran out this year because our 100+ page glossy edition was so well received. Paper is not over, yet. We also announce our annual award winners at this event.
East-Tec: What are the main privacy threats home and business PC users need to be aware of in 2014?
Gary Miliefsky: Eavesdropping and personal identity theft.
East-Tec: What way do you think data wipe and encryption software products can protect them against those threats?
Gary Miliefsky: It's hard to eavesdrop or steal when the system is clean and encrypted. Consumers must not lose the 'password' or keys and they will be extremely secure using solutions like East-Tec offers.
East-Tec: What precautionary privacy steps do you consider healthy for home and business users to take in the post-Snowden era?
Gary Miliefsky: Learn Counterveillance. Concise Courses offers free courses, and there are many other aspects of Counterveillance such as encryption, data hiding, data wiping, anti-eavesdropping, new malware protection and so much more. The old days of antivirus and firewall doing all the work to protect you are over. Your Smartphone or Tablet is probably the highest risk endpoint in your home or business. Lock 'em down and keep 'em secure.
East-Tec: What are CDM's main objectives for 2014?
Gary Miliefsky: To continue to cover best practices for infosec including products, tools, techniques and services that actually work to create a safer, more trustworthy computing experience for everyone. We have a revamped website in the works and so much more so stay tuned.
East-Tec: What's your closing message for our readers?
Gary Miliefsky: Be vigilant, verify before trusting and apps are not free. If it's free, you are the product.