Hacker Con Set for May, Teaches Human Hacking to Corporations

Westchester, IL (Gawkwire.com) Gartner reported in 2004 that the greatest security risk over the next 10 years will be the increasingly sophisticated use of Social Engineering (SE) to bypass IT security defenses. Most have seen the proliferation of SE attacks especially when it comes to phishing and its many variants. And with many high profile cases like Paris Hilton's cell phone, Sarah Palin's email account, Madoff's ponzi scheme and the campaigns of both Obama and McCain being compromised, the predictions are proving to be correct.

This leads security professionals into a new world of attacks against which many are not prepared to defend. People are now the target of the advanced hacker, and the cross-hairs are focused squarely on their foreheads... literally. It is only a matter of time before corporations feel the pain of wetware hacking requiring a new approach to testing and defense. There currently is no training that tightly integrates computer security with SE... until now. So in addition to the highly technical content for which ChicagoCon is known, this bi-annual security event is introducing a completely original and relevent 5-Day course, the Social Engineering Master Class, developed and taught by world-renowned social engineers, Chris Nickerson of TruTV's Tiger Team and noted expert and international speaker, Mike Murray.

Donald C. Donzal, Editor-in-Chief of The Ethical Hacker Network, said, "Social Engineering has been around for all of human existence and most everyone acknowledges its effectiveness. But no one has taken strides to teach the existing InfoSec community on the hows and whys of incorporating electronically-assisted social engineering attacks into auditing their own organizations much less bolstering their User Awareness Training. With the expertise of Nickerson and Murray at ChicagoCon, corporate security postures will be way ahead of the curve for a true business advantage."

ChicagoCon is a security event with 2 distinct components, training and a conference, both of which have a focus on Ethical Hacking. Ethical Hacking is defined as using the same tools and techniques as the bad guys in order to protect your own systems. The Spring Edition is set for May 2009. And without an exhibit hall full of vultures, the attendees are free to learn from the pros and network with peers to advance their practical knowledge and ultimately their careers.

Security Training May 4 - 8:

Boot camp-style training with computers, courseware, and most meals for a turn-key educational experience. Even the exams are proctored on-site. In addition to the SE Master Class, ChicagoCon 2009s offers popular certification courses by Training Camp including CISSP, CEH, CHFI and Fundamentals with Network & Security . The advanced technical hacking courses are being provided by Chicago's own InfoSec Institute and include Expert Pen Testing, Reverse Engineering and Web App Hacking.

Every course includes a free ticket to the Ethical Hacking Conference. Click here for Training Details and Registration.

Ethical Hacking Conference May 8 - 9:

- Keynotes by Raffael Marty, Chief Security Strategist for Splunk and Dr. Marc Rogers, Director of the Cyber Forensics Program at Purdue University.
- Technical Presentations featuring Chris Gates, Craig Heffner, Darren Kitchen, Ryan Linn, Mike Murray, Chris Nickerson, Tim Rosenberg, Andrew Whitaker, and more.
- Pizza Party on Friday and lunch on Saturday
- Capture the Flag with White Wolf Security
- "The Doctor Is In" Career Counseling
- Lock Picking 101
- Evening Entertainment (Announced at the event)
- What's a con without swag!!

Conference Only Tickets are available for just $100. Click here for Conference Details and Registration.

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