Buffalo, NY – Cyber minds from Western New York and beyond converged at Canisius University on Saturday, June 1 for BSides Buffalo 3.0, a cybersecurity and information technology (IT) conference. The conference drew more than 200 participants, ranging from seasoned cybersecurity and IT professionals, to budding enthusiasts and students, and attracted the attention of local media.
Established in 2009, BSides is a national non-profit organization dedicated to advancing information security knowledge through events, conferences and seminars around the world. Each event is unique and organized based on the interests and skills of the local community. The BSides Buffalo conference included various interactive exhibits and hands-on experiences for attendees at all levels:
“IntroSec” teaches novices the fundamentals of cybersecurity (i.e. how to get started, how to build a home lab and how to use cloud security). Amateurs also took their first steps in hardware hacking by learning how to solder electronic circuits.
Experienced hackers were on hand to demonstrate the vulnerabilities of physical locks and the techniques used to exploit them. More advanced cyber minds put their cyber sleuthing skills to the test in a friendly capture-the-flag hacking competition, in which participants race to solve various security-related challenges that range from reverse engineering to web application security, cryptography and network security to forensics.
Canisius showcased its state-of-the-art cybersecurity lab at the BSides Buffalo conference. The university is home to Western New York’s only technology-based master’s level cybersecurity program, which engages student in real-world training. Curricula includes information security risk assessment, threat identification and mitigation, and the development of secure software defenses.
The MS in cybersecurity is one of three data-focused graduate programs at Canisius. The university also offers a master’s level program and advanced certificate in data analytics and a master’s level program in business analytics. All three programs (cybersecurity, data analytics and business analytics) will be represented at the BSides Buffalo conference.
Canisius was founded in 1870 in Buffalo, NY, and is one of 27 Jesuit colleges and universities in the U.S. Consistently ranked among the top institutions in the Northeast, Canisius offers undergraduate, graduate and pre-professional programs distinguished by close student-faculty collaboration, mentoring and an emphasis on ethical, purpose-driven leadership.
