RSA Conference 2019 Asia Pacific & Japan Unveils Keynote Stage Line-up

Addressing the pressing cybersecurity issues impacting the region’s digital economies at the seventh annual event in Singapore

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 17 June 2019 – RSA Conference, the world’s leading information security conferences and expositions, today announced its line-up of keynote speakers for RSA Conference 2019 Asia Pacific & Japan (APJ). The Conference keynotes will be opened by Mr. Amrin Amin, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Singapore’s Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Health on Tuesday, July 16, at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Center.

The APJ region is home to seven of the top 10 economies with the largest ICT to GDP growth ratio[1]. As economic growth and people’s lifestyles become increasingly dependent on digital products and services, this year’s keynotes will focus on how everyone — from the C-suites to the frontlines — can ensure a more secure region while collectively continuing to pursue progress.

Some highlights of the keynote line-up include Kyla Guru, a 17-year-old student and internationally-renowned cybersecurity prodigy and entrepreneur, who will share her thoughts on transforming public education systems around privacy and cybersecurity and what she believes should be the mission of all cybersecurity initiatives. Also, a team of global computer forensics and ethical hacking experts from the SANS Institute will deliver unique perspectives on dangerous new cyber-attack techniques and how we can make radical changes to improve the current state of ‘cyber-insecurity’.

The Hugh Thompson Show: DeepFakes and the Human Zero Day will be a highlight on the Conference keynote stage. RSA Conference Program Chair Hugh Thompson will feature special guests — actor and writer Alexis Conran, and top cybersecurity researchers Saurabh Shintre and Dr Vrizlynn Thing. Together, they will discuss what makes humans most susceptible to being manipulated and compromised, how DeepFakes and AI are being weaponized, and how this forever changes defense strategies.

“Driving progress and navigating an evolving cybersecurity landscape come hand in hand. The rise of e-commerce and FinTech in Asia boosts consumption and inclusion but makes us vulnerable to new forms of scams and fraud. Sharper AI algorithms boost productivity but can also be used to make cyber-threats harder to discern. The line-up that we’ve assembled will help us better leverage digital opportunities while managing associated risks. Our goal is to help create a brighter future by highlighting what it takes to become more secure today,” said Linda Gray Martin, Senior Director and General Manager, RSA Conferences.

Keynote speakers and sessions include: 

• Mr. Amrin Amin, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs & Ministry of Health

Opening keynote Guest-of-Honor for RSA Conference 2019 APJ, Mr. Amrin Amin is Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Singapore’s Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Health. He is a Member of Parliament representing Sembawang Group Representation Constituency (Woodlands) since September 2015. Prior to political office, he was a corporate lawyer specializing in mergers and acquisitions. Amrin read law at the National University of Singapore (Bachelor of Law) (Honors) and Columbia University in New York (Master of Law) (Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar).

• Kyla Guru, Founder / CEO, Bits N’ Bytes Cybersecurity Education | Tales of a Teenage Security Supergirl

Before her freshman year in high school, Kyla Guru founded Bits N’ Bytes Cybersecurity, a national organization that now sustains more than 20 national partnerships with school districts, corporations like Facebook and IBM, and educational platforms like Discovery Education, all to increase awareness, literacy, and fluency in privacy and cybersecurity. Guru will share her story of being a social entrepreneur, what she believes should be the greater mission of all cybersecurity initiatives, and what she sees as the future of the industry.

• The Five Most Dangerous New Attack Techniques and How to Counter Them

Presented by the SANS Institute, this keynote panel will reveal the most dangerous new attack techniques, how they work and how we can stop them. Speakers include Robert M. Lee, CEO and Founder, Dragos, Inc, SANS Certified Instructor; My-Ngoc Nguyen, CEO / Principal Consultant, Secured IT Solutions, SANS Certified Instructor; Stephen Sims, SANS Faculty Fellow, PenTest and Cyber Defense Essentials Curriculum Lead and moderated by Nick Klein, Director of Klein & Co., Computer Forensics, SANS Certified Instructor.

• Rohit Ghai, President, RSA, and Holly Rollo, Senior Vice President and Digital Transformation Lead, RSA | The New Why of Cybersecurity

Digital investment accelerates business velocity, transforms constituent experiences and spawns new opportunities. But this formidable force for human progress also magnifies risk. Together with leading industry experts from RSA, Rohit Ghai will address the management of digital risk as the new ‘why’ for cybersecurity.

• Diana Kelley, Cybersecurity Field CTO, Microsoft | Better Cybersecurity with AI and ML? Focus on Culture, Diversity and Inclusion

AI and machine learning can speed up the threat response cycle, but without diverse teams developing these machine learning models, we may end up automating bias or even criminals’ attack paths. Diana Kelley will explain the importance of culture and diversity within organizations’ cybersecurity teams, to ensure they benefit from advances in the fields of AI and machine learning.

• Haiyan Song, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Security Markets, Splunk | Embracing Chaos to Reimagine Cybersecurity

As nation-state hacks and concerns around privacy continue to mount, data is playing an increasingly critical role in the success of the security operations center (SOC). With security professionals facing an ever-increasing volume of risk, Haiyan Song will share ways to embrace data chaos, fuel innovation and stay one step ahead of today’s biggest security threats. 

• Aarti Borkar, Vice President, Offering Management, IBM Security | The New Rules of Security

The reality today is that enterprises must secure business processes from and for the cloud. As we move into the next era of cloud computing, Aarti Borkar will detail how cybersecurity leaders can adopt a continuous security model to protect data and workloads, manage threats and compliance, and secure identities and networks.

• The Hugh Thompson Show: DeepFakes and The Human Zero Day

From social engineering and exploiting human zero days to DeepFakes that are now harder to discern than ever before, the greatest threats we have ever faced sit inside the human mind. This closing keynote takes you behind the scenes to explore what it is about humans that makes us susceptible to getting manipulated and compromised. Learn how DeepFakes and AI are being weaponized from world-renowned application security expert and RSA Conference Program Committee Chair, Hugh Thompson, and special guests Vrizlynn Thing, Senior Vice President, Head of Cybersecurity Strategic Technology Centre, ST Engineering; Saurabh Shintre, Senior Principal Researcher; and Alexis Conran, a celebrity presenter and broadcaster best known for his role in highly acclaimed BBC TV show, The Real Hustle. 

Additional information and online registration details: 

• For more information on RSA Conference 2019 APJ keynote speakers and topics, please visit: https://www.rsaconference.com/events/ap19/agenda/keynotes
• To register, please visit: https://www/rsaconference.com/events/ap19/register
• Media can register for a press pass here: https://www.rsaconference.com/events/ap19/press