SecureWorld Chicago 2025

Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology enables computers and machines to simulate human learning, comprehension, problem solving, decision making, creativity and autonomy. Applications and devices equipped with AI can see and identify objects, understand, and respond to human language, learn from new information and experience. AI-based applications (a classic example being a self-driving car) can make detailed recommendations to users and experts and act independently, replacing the need for human intelligence or intervention.

Recognizing the importance of technical standards in shaping development and use of AI, the U.S. President’s October 2023 Executive Order on the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence (EO 14110) calls for “a coordinated effort… to drive the development and implementation of AI-related consensus standards, cooperation and coordination, and information sharing” internationally.

This PLUS Course focuses on how the development of AI capabilities, technologies, and tools impact cybersecurity. Instructor Larry Wilson breaks down the course into four digestible lessons:

Lesson 1: What Is Artificial Intelligence: Includes an overview of Artificial Intelligence, how AI is used today (case studies), the current / future state of international AI standards.

Lesson 2: AI Security Threats: How threat actors are using AI to automate stages of the attack lifecycle, including reconnaissance, evasion, privilege escalation, lateral movement, and exploitation.

Lesson 3: AI Security Standards: (1) Secure Design – risks and threat modelling; (2) Secure Development – supply chain security, documentation, asset and technical debt management; (3) Secure Deployment – protecting infrastructure from compromise, threat or loss, incident management, and responsible release; and (4) Secure Operation and Maintenance – logging and monitoring, update management and information sharing.

Lesson 4: AI Risk Management Playbook: (1) Govern – policies, processes, procedures and practices across the organization related to the mapping, measuring and managing of AI risks are in place, transparent, and implemented effectively; (2) Map – context is measured and understood; (3) Measure – appropriate methods and metrics are identified and applied; (4) Manage – AI risks based on assessments and other analytical output from the Map and Measure functions are prioritized, responded to, and managed; (5) Roadmap – key activities for advancing the NIST Artificial Intelligence Risk Management Framework.

Upon completion of the class, attendees will have an up-to-date understanding of AI and its impact on cybersecurity. They will learn what actions organizations should take to benefit from the many advancements available with adopting AI into their security design, development, deployment, operations, and maintenance.

STUDENT TESTIMONIAL:
“Mr. Wilson presented an incredibly complex, emerging topic that includes significant risks in such a way that it left me convinced GenAI is just another piece of software. He walked us through defining the technical components, understanding the risks of and threats to these systems, and the security controls to help mitigate them. He wrapped the class by outlining how we may want to develop a program for managing the risks associated with AI, and did it with a wealth of practical knowledge, relatable personal anecdotes, and a ton of thoughtful research. Best class of SecureWorld Boston 2025!”
— Andrew F. Powell Jr., Information Security Director, Williams College

Have you ever wondered how to actually use the NIST Cybersecurity Framework and apply it to your business or organization?

In this course, you will get an inside look at how cybersecurity, information technology (IT), and business professionals use the NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) Version 2.0 to understand and actively manage their risk posture.

You will begin by learning the fundamentals of the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, including:

• What are the components of the framework?

• Why is the framework is valuable?

• What type of organizations can use the framework?
  

Then, you will dive deeper into the framework to fully understand the Framework Core, the Framework Tiers, and the Framework Implementation Profile.

You will also review various case studies from diverse organizations across the globe, including critical infrastructure organizations, technology companies, governmental organizations, and others.

Finally, we will spend the majority of this course walking you through how to implement this framework within your own organization by conducting a Cyber Risk Mapping (CR-MAP). This CR-MAP of your organization will aid you in identifying your weaknesses and creating a remediation plan to achieve higher levels of security by minimizing your cyber risk.

We even include a free bonus digital workbook that helps you conduct a step-by-step Cyber Risk Mapping at the conclusion of the course.

Come to the Registration desk in the lobby to check-in and get your badge. SecureWorld staff will be available throughout the day if you have any questions.

Your opportunity to visit our solution vendor partners, whose sponsorship makes SecureWorld possible! Booths have staff ready to answer your questions. Look for participating Dash For Prizes sponsors to be entered to win prizes.

Moderated discussion for SecureWorld Advisory Council members. By invite only.

Participating professional associations and details to be announced.

Measuring one’s cybersecurity framework against others in the same industry, or even outside of their vertical, can provide valuable insights into areas to improve or adjust.

Visit the Exhibitor Hall to network with attendees and connect with our vendor sponsors and association partners.

Visit the Exhibitor Hall to network with attendees and connect with our vendor sponsors and association partners.

Learn about next-generation engineering enablement strategies that leverage automation, engineering outreach methods and engineering-focused resources to accelerate engineering adoption of your priority cyber initiatives. These strategies will help you kickstart programs that increase adoption from engineering teams while leveraging the tools and environments that engineers use.

This panel discussion confronts the challenge of building InfoSec teams with the skills to manage stress under pressure. Cybersecurity executive leaders explore how to create team cultures, practices, and processes for proactively building mental well-being instead of addressing mental health from a reactive position. Much like building a security program, the group looks at the role mindfulness can play in helping defenders increase job satisfaction, improve focus, and lower the risk of burnout. Attendees can expect to gain actionable insights and practical steps that can be implemented within their organizations to cultivate this type of resilience.

As SaaS adoption accelerates, so do the risks—31% of organizations have already faced a SaaS-related data breach. This session explores emerging SaaS security threats, common misconfigurations, and evolving attacker tactics. By leveraging AppOmni’s insights, we’ll cover proactive threat detection and risk mitigation strategies to help you safeguard critical data and maintain business resilience in today’s dynamic threat landscape.

Visit the Exhibitor Hall to network with attendees and connect with our vendor sponsors and association partners.

Session details to come.

You’ve experienced a cyber incident. Does cyber insurance really pay? What’s actually a recoverable expense? How can insurance help? And when the insurance does pay, how do you balance the amount of insurance with cybersecurity priorities? In this session, we’ll evaluate the data and dig into recent real-world examples of how cyber insurance pays claims, what’s covered, the role of insurance in incident preparation and response, and how organizations are using analytics in decision-making.

Today’s professionals face challenges reminiscent of classic fairy tales: shadowy villains, unexpected allies, and battles for safety and survival. This panel will delve into the current threat landscape, from ransomware dragons to insider trolls. It will offer insights into the strategies and tools organizations need to craft their own happily ever after in cybersecurity.

Moderated discussion for SecureWorld Advisory Council members. By invite only.

Visit the Exhibitor Hall to network with attendees and connect with our vendor sponsors and association partners.

Participate in the play-through of an interactive tabletop exercise, and learn how to identify, protect, respond, and recover from cyberattacks while creating a more cyber-aware culture. During the exercise, participants will be asked to assume a role in an organization impacted by a simulated cyberattack and discuss cyber incident response actions. Attendees will be given access to virtual resources so they can facilitate simple tabletop exercises within their own organizations.

This session explores the cybersecurity challenges of a Fortune 1000 company with 4,000 employees and 112-plus locations across four countries. The business must deal with NIST, SANS CIS, SOX, PCI, and the upcoming CMMC 2.0 controls.

Manufacturing, with all its legacy and new OT, IoT, and IIoT, presents many challenges to implement a comprehensive cybersecurity program. This talk is designed for other companies at the beginning or middle of their program builds and serves as a how-to get for getting started and avoiding pitfalls. This case study covers the humble beginnings, challenges, failures – and the successes to get there.

AI can be both a powerful ally and a mischievous force if left unchecked. This panel will explore how organizations can harness the magic of AI for cybersecurity—automating defenses, detecting threats, and enhancing decision-making—while addressing the risks of bias, over-reliance, and adversarial AI. Use this transformative technology wisely to write your cybersecurity success story.

Visit the Exhibitor Hall to network with attendees and connect with our vendor sponsors and association partners.

In 2024, Schellman became one of the first accredited certification bodies for ISO 42001, providing invaluable insights into AI governance. Our experience revealed that ISO 42001 equips organizations with a robust framework to navigate the complex landscape of AI regulation. By establishing clear guidelines for ethical AI practices, organizations can enhance transparency, accountability, and compliance. This standard not only helps mitigate risks associated with AI deployment but also fosters trust among stakeholders. We believe that ISO 42001 is essential for organizations striving to balance innovation with regulatory demands, ultimately paving the way for responsible AI adoption in diverse sectors.

Session description to come.

Phishing is one of the leading cyberattacks worldwide, resulting in numerous social engineering training exercises to train average users to defend against these attacks. This discussion focuses on research that took a pool of users with three different phishing campaigns. Each campaign progressively has a phish that should be more advanced to spot than the previous phish presented. The research shows the psychological reasoning behind why a user will interact with a phish, regardless of educational awareness. Results include why a 0% or 100% report rate is unrealistic and how to use phishing metrics to quantify risk in a business.

In today’s dynamic cyber risk landscape, risk managers must stay informed and adapt their strategies accordingly. Recent global cyber events have had a profound impact on critical functions across multiple sectors, underscoring the gravity of cyber events. Risk managers also face complexities from trends like reliance on third parties and evolving data protection laws.

To successfully navigate these challenges, risk managers are tasked with learning from significant cyber events, implementing best practices for managing third-party cyber risk, and staying updated on privacy regulations. This session assists risk managers in effectively mitigating cyber risks and safeguarding their organizations by discussing strategies for managing third-party cyber risk and providing updates on privacy regulations.

Visit the solution sponsor booths in the Exhibitor Hall and connect with other attendees.

Participating sponsors will announce their Dash for Prizes winners. Must be present to win.

Join your peers for conversation and complimentary beverages. This is a great opportunity to network with other security professionals from the area and discuss the hot topics from the day.