In anticipation of GSX, we sat down with presenters of upcoming sessions in order to get a better understanding of the topics at hand. This week we are featuring, “Social Engineering—The Risks to Our Companies and Employees” presented by Carlos Veiga, Head of Strategy and Operations – Risk Advisory & Consulting Services (RACS) at G4S / Allied Universal. Read on for what he had to say and don’t forget to register for GSX 2023!
Q: Tell us about your presentation and why should security professionals have this topic on their radar.
A: This presentation has the intent to share some initial information around the Social Engineering topic and its impacts, sparking the interest of the public on the topic. In today’s world, social engineering is recognized as one of the most effective ways to obtain information and break through a defense’s walls. It is so effective because technical defenses (like firewalls and overall software security) have become substantially better at protecting against outside entities. The same can’t be said for humans, who are often referred to as the “weakest link in your security posture.”
Q: What advice would you give security professionals interested in this topic?
A: Research. There is a lot of good literature around this topic that will help you understand the basics of Social Engineering and how those risks are materialized in the current world.
Q: How do you see this issue evolving in the next 2-5 years?
A: As the AI tools will be even more evolved in the near future, perpetrators will liaise on those tools to enhance and sophisticate their social engineering attacks (AI intel, deepfake videos, voice cloning, automated learning, etc). So, the future will be even more challenging in what concerns Social Engineering risks and AI.
Q: Why do you attend GSX?
A: It’s a world class renowned event with top security professionals that enables and facilitates the exchange of knowledge within the security community. Also, it’s important to keep up with the industry updates and recent product launches.