‘Hacker’ to deliver keynote at C&W cybersecurity forum

Hacker-turned-computer security specialist Hector Monsegur will give a feature presentation at two cybercrime online forums hosted by C&W Business this month.

C&W Business, the business-to-business arm of C&W Communications, said the webinars are aimed at helping governments, large businesses and individual entrepreneurs better protect their organisations and companies from increasing threats from international cybercriminals.

It has turned to Monsegur – the man behind the Anonymous/LulzSec hacker collectives, as well as an informant for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – to share insight on how cybercriminals work.

“Cybersecurity involves preventing, detecting, and responding to cyberattacks that can have wide-ranging effects on individuals, organisations, local communities, and entire countries. As the Caribbean’s leading service provider, we see it as our responsibility to inform, advise and educate about the varied elements of online security,” said Nicolas Collette, vice president, B2B, C&W Communications.

“Hector once ruled the 'hacktivist' scene breaching security systems of major corporations and governments around the globe, and he will share the mindset of a hacker and how organisations can proactively protect themselves. He will also present the inside secrets of how hackers choose their targets, why hacking appeals to people, how hacking tools work, and how you can protect yourself and loved ones from vulnerability.”

Monsegur, also known by the online pseudonym Sabu, became an informant for the FBI after facing a sentence of 124 years in prison for his role in the LulzSec hacker collective intervening in the affairs of organisations such as News Corporation, Stratfor, UK and American law enforcement bodies and the Irish political party, Fine Gael.

Monsegur now works as an ethical hacker conducting penetration tests – authorised simulated cyberattacks on computer systems performed to evaluate the security of the system.

“Global cyber-attacks increased by 32 per cent in 2022 when compared to 2021, with an all-time high being recorded in the second quarter of this year. The Caribbean and Latin America has also seen the largest increase in attacks, with research suggesting one out of 23 organisations impacted weekly – a 43 per cent increase when compared to 2021,” added Collette.

“The cybercriminals are not slowing down and we must be proactive in our approach to safeguarding our networks to withstand any eventuality. With the right technologies in place, most attacks, even the most advanced ones, can be prevented and we are happy to be providing this timely forum for the exchange of knowledge and best practices in reducing and preventing cybercrime in our region.”