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B.I.C. Village Mission​
"Social Justice and The Black Experience in Technology".
This village seeks to highlight Black experiences, innovations in the field, Black culture, Black history as well as provide a platform for the discussion of social justice and its impact on the progression and development of Technology.
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2024 Cultural Celebrations and Themes
"Celebration Of Caribbean Culture"
The BIC Village will be highlighting and celebrating Black Indigenous Caribbean culture in our 2024 design and music. This highlights the rich heritage, traditions, and contributions of African-descended peoples in the Caribbean. Caribbean festivities often include vibrant music, dance, storytelling, and culinary delights, showcasing the resilience and cultural wealth of these communities.
"Pirate Lore"
African sailors/pirates, particularly those operating along the West Coast utilized their extensive knowledge of the night sky for navigation. Their ability to read the stars and celestial patterns allowed them to expertly navigate treacherous waters and evade capture at a time with limited technology.
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"Dogon People of West Africa"
The Dogon people reside in the central plateau region of Mali, West Africa, known for their unique cosmology and advanced knowledge of astronomy, including the star system Sirius. Their intricate mythology and celestial observations have fascinated anthropologists and astronomers, highlighting their profound understanding of the universe.
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BIC Village Talk Categories
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Technology in Social Justice: Discussing and highlighting how disparity and lack of equality negatively effect the progression of Cybersecurity and/or the greater technology field.
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Black Experience In Cybersecurity / Technology: Describing or narrating a cultural experience that helped shape innovation, develop a curiosity or fuel a mission.
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Cyber Innovations and Advancements: Presenting a specific advancement, innovation or invention that has been preformed by a Black practitioner or has aided the Black community.​
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BIC Village 2024 Schedule
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Friday August 9, 2024
Village Warm-Up: Meet The BIC @ UK Team Leads (Virtual)
Speaker: Ambassador Ike Marizu & BIC United Kingdom Affiliate Leads
Day: Friday August 9, 2024
Time: 9:00 AM
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Meet BIC @ UK! The U.K. Chapter of Blacks In Cybersecurity is dedicated to empowering Black professionals in the United Kingdom. This session will introduce you to the reginal leaders and their vision for their local chapter and members.
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This session will be available on our Livestreams & Youtube Channel.
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Virtual Opening Session Q&A (Virtual)
Speaker: TBD
Day: Friday August 9, 2024
Time: 9:30 AM
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In this Q&A session featuring a malware engineer, the BIC community will engage with insights and inquiries!
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This session will be available on our Livestreams & Youtube Channel.
2024 BIC Village Keynote: Cyber Threat Landscape And Law Enforcement
Speaker: Kevin Parker
Day: Friday August 9, 2024
Time: 10:00 AM
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Kevin Parker is the principal at Blacksuit Consulting and a retired FBI Special Agent. He served as the lead agent for state sponsored computer intrusion investigations and pursued foreign threat actors. Kevin investigated criminal computer intrusions, collected evidence and arrested numerous subjects while providing actionable intelligence to investigations across the FBI.
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This opening session provides a overview of the current threat landscape, highlighting key trends like ransomware, state-sponsored attacks, and supply chain threats. We will explore how law enforcement combats cybercrime through innovative investigation techniques, international collaboration and evolving legal frameworks. Gain actionable insights to strengthen your cybersecurity posture and understand the critical role of law enforcement in maintaining digital security.
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From Redlining to Weblining: Examining Broadband Deserts and Racial Injustice
Speaker: Dr. Fatou Sankare
Day: Friday August 9, 2024
Time: 11:30 AM
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This talk dives deep into the historical context of redlining, segregation, and the enduring legacy of unequal access to technology, particularly focusing on its impact on Black communities. It examines the concept of broadband deserts, highlighting geographic disparities and their economic ramifications. Furthermore, the talk explores how the lack of broadband access hinders economic opportunities for Black individuals, including limited exposure to the tech field and decreased participation in tech and cyber-related activities from a young age. By shedding light on these issues, the presentation aims to foster awareness and discussion on strategies to bridge the digital divide and promote equitable access to technology in marginalized communities.
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Worried about AI taking your job? Then this talk is for you.
Speaker: Levone Campbell
Day: Friday August 9, 2024
Time: 1:00 PM
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​Artificial intelligence (AI) promises to be a game-changing technology across industries, but when it comes to identifying and mitigating complex cybersecurity threats, AI still falls short. The inherent nature of malicious attacks and the sophistication of hackers ultimately hamper even the most advanced AI systems currently available. There are many critical jobs where AI cannot replace humans due to the limits of current technology in exercising judgment, especially in undefined and complex situations. AI can only process information it has been trained on, lacking real-world experience and the discernment needed for high-stakes decision making.
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A Cyber Weather Report: Cloud Security Panel (Virtual)
Speaker(s): Cloud Security Panelists from Amazon Security Black Employee Network
Day: Friday August 9, 2024
Time: 2:00 PM
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Join us for a meeting of Black Cloud Security professionals to discuss the latest trends in Cloud Security. This panel will cover emerging threats, innovative defenses, and best practices for protecting data in the cloud. Gain insights into how organizations can adapt to the evolving cyber landscape. Don't miss this opportunity to enhance your understanding of cloud security challenges and solutions!
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This session will be available on our Livestreams & Youtube Channel.
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"BYOCTF" - Bring Your Own [Challenges||Capture] The Flag
Speaker: Eli Mcrae
Day: Friday August 9, 2024
Time: 2:00 PM
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One of the best ways to learn something is to teach others about it. BYOCTF is a CTF framework (really a concept) that allows CTF players to contribute challenges for other players to solve and earn points as a reward. The purpose of the framework is to allow people to think about the learning experience of others. Everyone can learn how to become a CTF challenge developer.
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Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Convenience: The Slow Death of Independence
Speaker: Kaleeque Pierce
Day: Friday August 9, 2024
Time: 3:00 PM
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​Over the years, while people have expressed more and more concern about what freedoms we have in the US, less and less understanding of what true freedom means has been demonstrated. Here, we take a look at the related definitions, and how technology has been both a secret advocate and opponent of the freedoms we claim to desire so much.
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The Implications of Cyberbiosecurity in Advanced Agricultural Systems
Speaker: Simone Stephen
Day: Friday August 9, 2024
Time: 4:00 PM
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The world is currently undergoing a rapid digital transformation sometimes referred to as the fourth industrial revolution. During this transformation, it is increasingly clear that many scientific fields are not prepared for this change. One specific area is agriculture. As the sector which creates global food supply, this critical infrastructure requires detailed assessment and research via newly developed technologies (Millett et al, 2019; Peccoud et al, 2018) . Despite its fundamental significance to modern civilization, many aspects of industrial agriculture have not yet adapted to the digital world. This is evident in the many vulnerabilities currently present within agricultural systems, as well as the lacking and fragmented nature of policy dictating cybersecurity stances– the field which intersects both cybersecurity and biosecurity to protect several areas within life sciences (Murch et al, 2018; Duncan et al, 2019; U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2022) . These looming oversights create dangers to advanced agricultural systems, which in turn poses risk to businesses, economies, and individuals. While there are various methods to reduce these risk factors, they ultimately depend on the careful consideration of cyberbiosecurity (CBS) by all involved. This includes the system developers, equipment engineers, and especially the end users - all of us. A conscientious team-effort can work to diminish risks and ultimately provide a safer environment for advanced agriculture and all who depend on it. This analysis explores numerous vulnerabilities within the system of advanced agriculture, discusses potential solutions to the escalating risks they present, and considers the achievable future of an advanced agricultural system which further implements the role of CBS.
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BIC Village Parties on Friday Night August 9, 2024
The BIC Village Networking Chat & Chew begins Friday at 7:00 PM.
Network with our sponsors, partners, volunteers, members and visitors!
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The BIC Village Party with DJ ROMA will begin at 9:00 PM.
As the sun sets, gather around for a celebration of Reggae, Soca, Dancehall, Hiphop, Pop, R&B, Regional Hits and Caribbean Dance Style!
All Flags Welcome! Rep Your Flag!
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Saturday August 10, 2024
Fumbling into FedCyber
Speaker: Nikkia Hernderson
Day: Saturday August 10, 2024
Time: 10:00 AM
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Nikkia Henderson is a 14 year tenured federal government employee. In her current role she is a Senior Advisor at the Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). She serves a Cyber Supply Chain Risk Management (C-SCRM) Strategy and Governance Program lead, within CISA’s Cybersecurity Division. Ms. Henderson is also the President of the Women in Cybersecurity Mid Atlantic Affiliate, where she serves as a "cybHERprenuer" who is passionate about helping Cybersecurity/IT professionals define their vision, mission, and federal career path. In this session, Ms. Henderson shares her journey into a federal cyber career. She will highlight her challenges as well as milestones that catapulted her to where she is today!
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Unmasking Shadows: Strategies on Hunting Ransomware Groups
Speaker: RJ McCarley
Day: Saturday August 10, 2024
Time: 10:45 AM
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In the modern world of cybersecurity threats, ransomware groups pose a significant challenge to organizations worldwide. This talk, tailored for cybersecurity students and professionals, delves into practical techniques for tracking and dismantling these elusive adversaries. Attendees will explore methods such as monitoring the latest ransomware attacks, engaging with ransomware blogs on the dark web, and reaching out to victims to gather firsthand insights into the operations of these malicious entities. By combining these strategies, participants will gain a comprehensive understanding of how to unmask and combat ransomware groups, bolstering their defenses against this pervasive threat.
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My Smart Red Team Copilot
How to leverage the emerging era of Large Language Models to benefit us, enhancing the diversity of Cyber AI
Speaker: Gaspard Baye
Day: Saturday August 10, 2024
Time: 11:30 AM
Amid the Gen-AI revolution, notably through the rise of Large Language Models (LLMs), the cybersecurity landscape faces opportunities and challenges. These advanced AI models have successfully analyzed texts at unprecedented speeds, offering profound insights into vast data pools. However, this rapid technological growth has also paved the way for sophisticated Gen-AI-powered cyber threats that exploit these systems' adaptable, polymorphic nature, outpacing traditional defenses.
This presentation seeks to empower red teamers by unveiling the potential of open-source Gen-AI as a formidable ally in cybersecurity. Focusing on practical application, we will guide participants through constructing their own Gen-AI-based "co-pilot," leveraging LLMs to enhance vulnerability identification and defense mechanisms.
Attendees will be introduced to the fundamentals of Gen-AI, including cost-effective strategies for fine-tuning LLMs using custom datasets drawn from pentest reports, bug bounties, and more. The discussion will extend to innovative, memory-efficient training methods such as LORA (Low-Rank Adaptation) and Quantized Low-Rank Adaptation (QLORA), making training an LLM on a modest single GPU setup feasible.
Designed for beginners with no prior AI experience, this talk aims to equip red teamers with powerful, open-source AI tools to accelerate vulnerability detection. By harnessing Gen-AI, cybersecurity professionals can stay one step ahead, identifying and mitigating potential threats at machine speed, ensuring they outpace adversaries in the ongoing cyber battle.
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Weaponized Convenience: Inside the Rise of Remote Tool Abuse
Speaker(s): Nader Zaveri & Fernando Tomlinson
Day: Saturday August 10, 2024
Time: 12:15 PM
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In an era of remote work and distributed IT environments, remote administration tools (RATs) and remote monitoring and management (RMM) tools have become indispensable for system administrators and managed service providers (MSPs). However, the same features that make these tools efficient also make them attractive targets for malicious actors. Advanced threat actors are increasingly leveraging legitimate RATs and RMMs to gain unauthorized access to networks, bypassing traditional security controls and evading detection.
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Navigating Microaggressions and Fostering Inclusive Communication with Peers and Leadership for Black Professionals
Speaker: Jess Hoffman
Day: Saturday August 10, 2024
Time: 1:00 PM
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This presentation dives into the critical role of emotional intelligence in navigating microaggressions and fostering inclusive communication dynamics for Black professionals in the cybersecurity field, particularly focusing on interactions with peers and leadership. It explores how developing emotional intelligence skills can equip Black cybersecurity professionals to effectively address and mitigate the impact of microaggressions while promoting respectful and inclusive communication exchanges within the team and with leadership.
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SIEM and SOAR Workshop (Virtual)
Speaker: Kenneth Ellington
Day: Saturday August 10, 2024
Time: 1:00 PM
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What exactly are SIEM and SOAR and why are they so critical to the cyber securitylandscape? In today's session, I want to explore the ins and outs of SIEM and SOAR platforms and how they can be scaled up and down from smaller businesses all the way to multiple billion-dollar firms and their security organizations. I will also be covering how learning and understanding automation and having soft skills in this space can set you apart from the
competition and help you land a role faster. Anyone who is interested in the blue side of cybersecurity doesn't want to miss this.
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This session will be available on our Livestreams & Youtube Channel.
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MCPA x BIC x CAPT National Service Panel - BIC Village 2024 (Virtual)
Speaker: NSP Speakers
Day: Saturday August 10, 2024
Time: 2:00 PM
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This session will be available on our Livestreams & Youtube Channel.
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"How to Find a 0day in iOS Apps"
Speaker: Xavier D. Johnson
Day: Saturday August 10, 2024
Time: 2:00 PM
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This talk delves into the methodologies and strategies for discovering zero-day vulnerabilities in iOS applications. It covers the fundamental principles of iOS security, including code review, reverse engineering, and dynamic analysis techniques. Attendees will gain insights into common weaknesses in iOS app architecture and learn how to exploit these vulnerabilities ethically. By the end of the session, participants will be equipped with practical tools and knowledge to identify and address potential security threats in iOS applications.
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FuzzLLM: A Fuzzing Framework for Discovering Jailbreak Vulnerabilities in Large Language Models
Speaker: Ian G. Harris
Day: Saturday August 10, 2024
Time: 3:00 PM
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Jailbreak vulnerabilities in Large Language Models (LLMs), which exploit meticulously crafted prompts to elicit content that violates service guidelines, have captured the attention of research communities. While model owners can defend against individual jailbreak prompts through safety training strategies, this relatively passive approach struggles to handle the broader category of similar jailbreaks. To tackle this issue, we introduce FuzzLLM, an automated fuzzing framework designed to proactively test and discover jailbreak vulnerabilities in LLMs. We utilize templates to capture the structural integrity of a prompt and isolate key features of a jailbreak class as constraints. By integrating different base classes into powerful combo attacks and varying the elements of constraints and prohibited questions, FuzzLLM enables efficient testing with reduced manual effort. Extensive experiments demonstrate FuzzLLM's effectiveness and comprehensiveness in vulnerability discovery across various LLMs.
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The Transparency Algorithm: AI's Answer to Legal Racial and Social Inequality
Speaker: Aquarious Workman
Day: Saturday August 10, 2024
Time: 4:00 PM
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The Transparency Algorithm (TTA): AI's Answer to Legal Equality is a groundbreaking initiative to dismantle the deep-rooted biases and systemic disparities that have plagued the American legal system for far too long. This revolutionary effort leverages the unparalleled power of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to shine a glaring light on the injustices that have condemned generations of marginalized communities to a cycle of inequity and despair.Imagine a justice system where your fate is determined not by the content of your character but by the color of your skin, your gender, or your socioeconomic status. This is the grim reality that TTA seeks to eradicate. TTA meticulously analyzes public court case data to expose the hidden biases and discriminatory practices perpetuating injustice. This initiative doesn't just aim to reform; it seeks to revolutionize the very foundation of our legal system, bringing about the transparency and accountability that have long been overdue. At its core, TTA is a powerful tool for democratizing access to justice. Empowering citizens with data-driven insights provides a platform for informed public discourse and advocacy for systemic reform. The time for change is now, and TTA is the catalyst we need to forge a path towards a truly equitable legal landscape.​​
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Sunday August 11, 2024
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Ain’t that a Breach: Zero Trust Is the Only Solution!
Speaker: Dr. Louis DeWeaver III
Day: Sunday August 11, 2024
Time: 10:30 AM
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Living a life devoid of trust in anything or anyone can lead to a dismal existence. However, in the realm of cyber security, embracing the concept of Zero Trust is essential. Trust was never meant for networks and is now irrelevant in the digital realm. This discussion explores why trust has become a vulnerability and underscores the importance for organizations to adopt principles such as Zero Trust to effectively respond to the ever-changing threat landscape; failure to do so may lead to their extinction within a few years.
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Exploring Bias in AI-Assisted News
Speaker: Sydney Johns
Day: Sunday August 11, 2024
Time: 12:30 PM
The presentation aims to discuss the existing biases in AI-assisted news reporting. It explores how AI has been integrated into news media over the years and the implications of its use, particularly in terms of misinformation and disinformation. The goal is to spark a discussion on the role of AI in news propagation and its impact on public perception and truth. Starting with a historical overview, this presentation highlights how AI has been used by outlets like Narrative Science, the Associated Press, and the Washington Post to automate news content. The talk emphasizes the distinction between misinformation and disinformation and discusses how AI can amplify existing biases if trained on biased data. The presentation also covers the shift in news consumption towards digital platforms, the rapid spread of misinformation, and the importance of diverse media sources to prevent echo chambers.
Sydney Johns is an Artificial Intelligence Researcher at the Johns Hopkins Human Language Technology Center. She was previously a Computer Engineer supporting the Army Research and Technology Integration Directorate and has worked for the JHU Applied Physics Laboratory and Northrop Grumman.
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BIC Village 2024 Closing Session: Expanding Pathways into the National Cyber Workforce
Speaker: Ayan Islam
Day: Sunday August 11, 2024
Time: 1:00 PM
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The nation is facing a shortage of approximately 500,000 good paying jobs in cyber.The problem is only going to continue to grow as the world becomes more digitized. This is a threat to our national security. The White House Office of the National Cyber Director (ONCD) is ensuring that as we build the cyber workforce the nation needs, we are reaching out to every community. Diversity is an essential element of the national cyber workforce. National Cyber Director (NCD) Harry Coker Jr., and his predecessor Kemba Walden, have both been leading our work to build the nations cyber workforce, one that is reflective of nation and its needs.
Ayan Islam, a Somali native, is a key member of the ONCD team who handles workforce outreach to the African American Community, HBCU’s and many diverse audiences the nation desperately needs to assist with our national security. During this session, she will recount her experience, extensive background and her work with senior leaders. She will focus on ONCD’s work to expand pathways for individuals from backgrounds that are currently underrepresented in the Federal and national cyber workforce, including African Americans, to launch good-paying, meaningful careers in the cyber workforce.
For information on the BIC CTF navigate to the BIC CTF Page.
