With data leaks and hacking so prevalent in today's digital landscape, security and privacy are among some of the top growing concerns in the world.
Since 2004, the federal government has declared the month of October to be Cybersecurity Awareness Month, dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of cybersecurity. Cal Poly Pomona is proud to be a Cyber Champion for the National Cyber Security Alliance.
Cal Poly Pomona's 19th annual Cybersecurity & Awareness Fair (CSAF) aims to educate and celebrate the latest advancements in the cybersecurity world by inviting all students to explore, learn and network among industry leaders and professionals. This year's theme "The Watchful Eye," is a call to action for all technology users to reclaim their privacy.
The event is on Thursday, Oct. 26 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The fair will be held in the Bronco Student Center and will include a variety of presentations, including keynote speaker Nick Espinosa from Security Fanatics, activities and vendor exhibit tables. Key vendors at the event include the InfoBlox, SentinelOne, ACI Learning, Trellix, LASD K9 cyber dogs and Cyvatar.
"Cybersecurity students and industry professionals present how to hack a device and how protect yourself in a world where everyone is trying to get at your data and information," said Christopher Laasch, interim director of Information Security at Cal Poly Pomona and CSAF organizer.
Students will have the opportunity to learn through hands-on demonstrations of securing devices, coding and exploits with all forms of hardware. The 2023 CSAF Poster Contest will also award cash prizes for local college students who create posters about cybersecurity topics. From 2 to 5 p.m., there will be an exclusive cybersecurity-focused job fair that includes companies like CrowdStrike, CIA, and Northrop Grumman.
Leading up to CSAF, an online Capture the Flag challenge hosted by SWIFT will take place from Oct. 16 to 26, where participants must find and exploit vulnerabilities in a system to capture "flags" and win.
For more information on the upcoming fair, visit the Cybersecurity & Awareness Fair website.