Loss of control is the beginning of an attack. Paula Januszkiewicz on the realities of critical infrastructure defence
Loss of control over the environment almost always precedes a successful attack. During her presentation, Paula Januszkiewicz, CEO of CQUERE Inc. and CQUERE Academy, will show why it is environment management – and not just technical security measures – that is the foundation of effective critical infrastructure defence today.
In modern cyber operations, loss of control over the environment almost always precedes a successful attack. Adversaries rarely breach security directly. Instead, they exploit poorly managed areas: configuration drift, unmanaged identities, excessive privileges, and the lack of a consistent, comprehensive view of the environment. It is these weaknesses that determine the success of an attack before it is even detected.
During the lecture, environment management will be presented as a key defensive capability rather than an administrative function. Paula Januszkiewicz, drawing on her experience in real-world defence operations and working with government organisations and military structures in many countries, will show how to set management priorities and why a fragmented, consistent view of the environment is the foundation of effective defence. The presentation will be supplemented with live demonstrations.
The speaker will focus on seeking answers to the fundamental question: how should the situation in the area of IT infrastructure be managed when there is a breach of a strategic point responsible for the functioning of the state, such as energy or water treatment systems? And also: where does defence most often fail in practice and why?
The aim of the presentation is to show what maintaining operational control over the environment in conditions of real threat involves in practice, and what priorities should be set today to ensure that defence is effective and decisions can be enforced under pressure.
Paula Januszkiewicz is the Founder and CEO of CQURE and CQURE Academy, companies she established back in 2008. She is also an Enterprise Security MVP, honorable Microsoft Regional Director, and a world-class cybersecurity expert, consulting Customers worldwide. In 2017, Paula graduated from Harvard Business School. She delivers keynotes and sessions at the biggest world conferences such as RSA, Black Hat, Microsoft Ignite, SecTor Canada, Australian Cyber Conference, GISEC, GITEX, LEAP, and many others.
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