Share Your Cyber Security Expertise

Mandiant Cyber Defense Summit is now Mandiant Worldwide Information Security Exchange (mWISETM). 

THE CALL FOR PRESENTATIONS IS NOW CLOSED 

Thank you to all who submitted speaking proposals. Selected sessions will be announced in mid-June, and all submitters will be notified by email.

mWISE CONFERENCE 2022 WILL BE OCTOBER 18-20, 2022

An Evolution

The fight against cybercrimes and threats cannot be won alone – by one company or by one individual. Knowledge sharing is powerful, and our cyber security community must work together in this fight.

Mandiant Cyber Defense Summit is now Mandiant Worldwide Information Security Exchange (mWISE) – a new portfolio of event programming. As Cyber Defense Summit has done for 11 years, mWISE will bring leaders from industry, government, and academia together from across the security community to address the challenges of today’s threat landscape. mWISE will be open to the security community at large and not just Mandiant customers. We will gather to share knowledge and collaborate with one another unbounded by vendor influences.

mWISE Conference 2022 will be from October 18-20, 2022, in Washington, D.C. and virtually through our event platform.

Call for Presentations is Now Closed

Our Call for Presentations (CFP) is now closed for our inaugural mWISE Conference. We are accepting proposals to present in Washington, D.C. where we expect approximately 1,400 people to attend in-person and over 4,000 online. 

Milestone Dates

  • Call for Presentations opens:  March 24, 2022
  • Call for Presentation closed: May 9, 2022
  • Session selections will be announced in mid-June.

We are looking for innovative, thought-provoking topics. Engage your peers. Share your expertise with the community. 

Call for Presentations is now closed.

Session Tracks

Your expertise will ultimately drive our final agenda. To guide your submissions, we have created 6 tracks: 

INTELLIGENCE COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Sessions in this track focus on the current state of play in cyber threat intelligence; recent advancements in tools, technologies, and methodologies to track cyber adversary groups; and ways to effectively communicate analytic findings to minimize cyber risk exposure. Additional areas covered in this track include research and analysis processes, combatting analytic cognitive biases, the evolution of enrichment data sources, cyber adversary tradecraft, and developing key skills to succeed within the cyber threat intelligence discipline.

 

Topics include:

  • Cyber Threat Frameworks 
  • Understanding and evaluating vendor intelligence collection 
  • The three types of CTI stakeholders and their intelligence needs
  • Common cognitive biases analysts encounter
  • Key data enrichment sets for CTI analysts
  • Shifts in cyber adversary tradecraft
  • Attribution Analysis

SECURITY ENGINEERING

This track focuses on building and maintaining security posture by incorporating security controls into systems to prevent misuse and malicious behavior and maintain security policies. 

 

Topics include:

  • Network design 
  • Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) 
  • Zero Trust networks 
  • Data protection 
  • Cloud/hybrid security 
  • Cryptography/encryption standards/certificate management 
  • System integration 
  • Access control, MFA, federation and SSO 
  • Security architecture 
  • Application development 
  • Identity management 
  • Patch management 
  • DDoS prevention 
  • Container security 
  • Protecting OT, IoT, and IIoT networks

SECURITY OPERATIONS

Discussions focused on critical areas related to security issues on an organizational and technical level, directed on people, processes and technology for managing and enhancing and organizations security posture and preventing, detecting, analyzing and responding to cyber security incidents.

 

Topics include:

  • Data telemetry and leakage 
  • Protection and risk prevention 
  • SIEM/SOAR 
  • SOC 
  • Detection/threat hunting 
  • Recovery 
  • Blue team/red team 
  • Vulnerability management 
  • Active defense 

SECURITY THREATS AND EXPLOITS

Talks in these sessions focus on attacks and exploits aimed at damaging or disrupting computer networks or systems through unauthorized access, destruction, disclosure, modification of information, and/or denial of service. 

 

Topics include:

  • Intrusion detection and prevention 
  • Security risk management 
  • Vulnerability management 
  • Ransomware 
  • Dark web 
  • Incident response (breach notification, eradication, remediation/reverse malware engineering, investigation/forensics) 

SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT SECURITY

Talks focused on the software development process and protecting software against malicious attacks and other risks so that the software continues to function correctly. 

 

Topics include:

  • DevOps and DevSecOps 
  • Software development management and practices 
  • Software development environment security 
  • Source code scans/vulnerabilities 
  • Software acquisition security 
  • Security UX 
  • Security QA 
  • API security 

THIRD PARTY AND CYBER RISK MANAGEMENT

Sessions in this track are focused on the ongoing process of discovering, correcting, and preventing security problems, and implanting plans to address future risks. 

 

Topics include:

  • Business impact analysis (vulnerability scan, dependencies) 
  • 3rd party risk + supply chain 
  • Penetration testing (social engineering, infrastructure, whitebox, blackbox) 
  • Data control risk assessment (data flow map) 
  • Cyber insurance 
  • Crisis management 
  • Risk appetite 

Note: Session timeslots will be 45 minutes in length. You should build time in for Q&A.

Technical Levels

  • Business Focus: Sessions focus on the strategy and/or business aspects of security solutions, approaches or implementations.
  • Technical: Sessions range from base knowledge and progress to solid foundational skills for front-line professionals.
  • Advanced Technical: Sessions dive deeper into security concepts or architecture. Outlining pre-requisites in knowledge required to get the most out of these sessions.

Submission Tips

  1. Focus on the issue. Presentations should be focused on tackling the security issue and not from the perspective of company products and services. What is top of mind for security professionals across our community. Less eloquently: No sales pitches.
  2. Controversy breeds interest. Novel, highly contested, provocative, or innovative topics generate interest … and discussion! You should reserve time to engage with the audience – if not throughout, at the end of your talk.
  3. Case studies reign supreme. Compelling stories that show real life applications in action prevail over theory or marketing speak. If you represent a security vendor, partner with a customer.
  4. Consider the audience technical level. There are three levels of tracks which range from business strategy to deep dives into security concepts and architecture. Our audience includes technical security practitioners and appreciate technical depth. You also should consider the appropriate speaker – marketing, sales and business development titles are not generally suited for this audience.
  5. Timeslots are 45 minutes in length. Make your talk concise and clear. Engage the audience in discussion. Avoid just leaving time at the end to squeeze in Q&A. 

Call for Presentations is now closed.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Can a speaker submit more than one proposal?

Yes. A speaker may submit more than one proposal, but each proposal must be submitted separately. The submission deadline has been extended to May 9, 2022.

 

If I am selected to speak, what is the deadline to accept?

Selected speakers will be notified in early June and must accept their invitation to speak and provide a speaker agreement, bio, session abstract, and photo by July 1. 

 

Am I required to come to the physical event in Washington, D.C. if I am chosen as a speaker?

Yes. All speakers will be presenting in person at the event and will be recorded and/or streamed on the virtual platform. 

 

What if I change my mind, once I have been chosen to speak and no longer feel comfortable traveling to Washington D.C.?

We understand the fluidity of health and safety concerns and will try to accommodate changes in preference, where possible. We encourage you to let us know as soon as you can if you decide not to attend in person. 

 

Will all live presentations at the event be recorded for on-demand viewing?

Yes, our keynotes and all sessions in our 6 tracks will be streamed and recorded for on-demand viewing. 

 

What health and safety precautions are being taken for the on-site event in Washington, D.C.?

We are planning an in-person event with a virtual element. We will require that all attendees, speakers, staff and employees be fully vaccinated to attend in person. Proof of vaccination will be required during the Conference registration process. If you can not provide proof of full vaccination a minimum of two weeks prior to the event (by September 30) please do not submit a presentation.

 

What is the mWISE Conference registration fee for speakers and what does it include?

Registration for speakers is complimentary and includes entry to all sessions and keynotes along with continental breakfast, lunch and receptions. Registration does not include the pre-Summit training courses. 

 

Will hotel and travel costs be covered for speakers?

No, costs of hotel and travel will be at your own expense. 

 

Will speakers need to sign a release form?

All speakers will need to sign a Speaker Agreement form as part of their acceptance. Accepted speakers will be sent a form to complete. 

 

What is the length of a session?

Each session is 45-minutes long, including time for Q & A. We are open to splitting the session for the presentation of two related topics, if appropriate. The mWISE team will provide a presentation template for all presentations shown at the event.

 

What A/V is provided for presentations?

A/V set up will include stage, lectern, screens, LCD projector, laptop, microphone(s), internet connection, and wireless mouse. 

 

Will there be an opportunity for onsite rehearsal?

We will make every effort to schedule time for an on-site rehearsal before your session. 

 

Who can I contact with questions about submitting?

Please reach out to us at mWISEcfp@mandiant.com  and we’ll be happy to assist you.

 

Share your expertise at mWISE Conference 2022.

Call for Presentations is now closed.

If you have any questions, please contact the mWISE Team.

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