Protecting Your Identity Topic of Wyoming Cybersecurity Conference at UW Sept. 23

How cyberpsychology can be applied to everyday life and business will be examined in the keynote address at the 2022 Wyoming Cybersecurity Conference Friday, Sept. 23, at the University of Wyoming.

Erik Huffman, founder of Handshake Leadership, an organizational leadership development and cyber consulting firm, will detail some of his research findings in the emerging field of cyberpsychology, explaining why people make decisions online that put their personal identities or businesses at risk.

“It’s About Identity” is the theme of this year’s conference, says Laura Baker, CyberWyoming Alliance co-founder and executive director. The conference is part of the Wyoming Blockchain Stampede Sept. 19-23, presented by the UW Center for Blockchain and Digital Innovation. To register for the free event, visit www.fbcinc.com/e/wyblockchainstampede/.

Baker says the Wyoming Cybersecurity Conference theme ties into Wyoming Blockchain Stampede session topics involving digital identity and the metaverse; development and use of digital assets; and business startups.

A highlight of the conference is the announcement of the winners of the CyberWyoming Cybersecurity Competition for Small Businesses. Businesses from across the state participated in the competition to empower them to reduce their cybersecurity risks, Baker says.

“The conference is designed for average citizens interested in online identity and civility, managing your digital identity and community security identities,” Baker says. “We have a great lineup of speakers, from a panel of attorneys discussing digital identity to using cyberpsychology to better manage your business to identity theft digital forensics.”

Steve Lupien, director of the UW Center for Blockchain and Digital Innovation, says inclusion of the Wyoming Cybersecurity Conference in the Wyoming Blockchain Stampede provides participants an opportunity to learn how much digital assets and cybersecurity are connected.

The schedule for the Wyoming Cybersecurity Conference Sept. 23 is:

8:30 a.m. -- “Applying Cyberpsychology to Your Life and Business,” Huffman.

9:30 a.m. -- Winners of the CyberWyoming Cybersecurity Competition for Small Businesses announced.

10:45 a.m. -- “Digital Identity, Digital Assets and Legal Issues to Consider,” a panel with speaker Pamela Norton, founder, Borsetta; moderator Rob Zotti, sales executive, HUB International Mountain States Limited; Dallas Lain, senior counsel, Crowley & Fleck Attorneys; Shaina Case, partner, Hirst Applegate LLP; and Elizabeth Hinz, trust officer, SAFE Trust Co. Inc.

11:30 a.m. -- “Online Civility -- How to Make the Best Impression,” Shawn Reese, executive director, Wyoming Humanities.

12:10 p.m. -- Gov. Mark Gordon keynote.

1:15 p.m. -- “What is a Community Cybersecurity Model?,” Gregory White, a computer science professor and director of the Center for Infrastructure Assurance and Security, University of Texas-San Antonio (UTSA).

2:15 p.m. -- “Tech isn’t MY Identity! How to Get Teen Girls Interested in Cyber,” a panel with Benjamin Kushner, workforce analyst, ICF; and Baker.

3 p.m. -- “What Can Law Enforcement Do About Identity Theft?,” Derek Booth, special agent, Mountain West Cyber Fraud Task Force, U.S. Secret Service.

3:45 p.m. -- “Biometrics Pros and Cons and Protecting Your Biometrics Identity,” Daniel Conway, a biometrics researcher, professor and associate director at the University of Arkansas’ Blockchain Center of Excellence.

All day -- “Let’s Play a Game: Cyber Threat Defender Card Game,” presented by UTSA.