June 2022: Ransomware: Threats & Mitigations with REN-ISAC

The education industry has unceremoniously emerged as the second most common target for ransomware. It continues to evolve in how it is used as a fund-raiser for criminal organizations and how the technology works, to keep its victims guessing as to defense and eradication. Institutions face the difficult challenge of preserving academic freedom, easy access to information, and open collaboration while defending from threat actors who exploit these same characteristics. This presentation will focus on the current threats and provide guidance on protecting against ransomware attacks.

Speaker Bios:

Sarah Bigham: joined the REN-ISAC in March 2014. As Lead Security Analyst, her day-to-day responsibilities include managing the REN-ISAC Blended Threat  Workshops, working closely with the National Council of ISACs (NCI), FBI, DHS, and other state and federal peers to stay abreast of new and emerging threats, as well as special projects, and  member relations. Before coming to the REN-ISAC, Sarah worked at Harvard University as a Systems Support Specialist focusing on campus-wide Identity & Access Management (IdM) and HIPAA compliance for Harvard University Health Services. Prior to that, Sarah was a defense contractor at the United States Naval Academy where she focused on user and desktop support across the Yard for all faculty, staff, and midshipmen. Sarah holds an Associate of Applied Science in Computer Network Management from Anne Arundel Community College (Annapolis, MD) and a Bachelor of Science in Information Systems Management from University of Maryland Global Campus. 

Krysten Stevens joined REN-ISAC as Director of Technical Operations in 2020. She has a background in IT security analysis and cyber threat intelligence from Purdue University, where she used her leadership and expertise to train other security analysts, create security awareness programs, and develop threat intelligence strategies on an organizational level. Krysten graduated from Purdue University Global with an MS Cybersecurity Management in 2020, and she holds CISSP and GCTI certifications. When not at work, Krysten enjoys spending time with her husband, two children, five cats, and two golden retrievers (who refuse to retrieve).