Security Today: What you Need to Know

Marnie Hutcheson
Independent Consultant

Description:

Hackers and System security issues have changed radically in the past 18 months. The black hats have compromised “Secure” systems in major and minor companies and government offices everywhere on an unprecedented scale. They have done this by exploiting vulnerabilities in applications, databases, and operating systems – vulnerabilities that could have identified and removed if the test effort had focused on finding them.

This presentation will acquaint you with the unpublished facts about the black hat war that is going on everywhere, right now, and will show you why the software test profession is on the front line of defense against these bad guys.

Outline:

• Hacking in the 21st century – the under reported war

  • Why should testers care about security vulnerabilities?
• How hackers target applications and systems

  • Attack Vectors
  • Attack Surfaces
  • Attack Styles Diversions, Breaches, Infiltrations, Exploitations
  • Attack Purpose: Information Theft, Compromise, Resource Diversion and Repurposing, Complete Destruction and Mayhem
• The software testers’ role in this war

  • Testers are in the best position to identify security vulnerabilities before they become everybody’s problem
  • What you need to do now

Biography:

Marnie Hutcheson is a columnist for MSDN Magazine and TechNET Magazine. She also creates technical courseware for Microsoft Corporation and travels around the world training the trainers who teach these technologies to the world. She is an internationally published author and speaker in the areas of software development, testing and quality assurance, and systems administration.
She began her career in engineering at Prodigy Services Company in 1987 as the Lead Systems Integrator for Shopping, and later Banking and Financial Services. Over the years, she has become a leader in the development of the Web and has helped corporations like GTE and Microsoft develop and launch several major Internet technologies.

Prior to that, she was a student of the performing arts for over 20 years. She performed on stage, in classical ballet, musical theater, folk singing, and opera for 10 years in Denver, Montreal, Boston, and New York.

She also taught dance in institutions and colleges during those years. In the late 1970s, she was the dance instructor and assistant choreographer to U.S. Olympic skating coach, Don Laws, and Olympic choreographer Riki Harris. She worked with U.S. Olympians, elite skaters, and gymnasts in the United States and Canada.