Cybersecurity, NSA Spying, And Silicon Valley To Take Center Stage At Disrupt SF

Strap on a tin foil hat and dust off your VHS tape of Hackers because a thrilling, civilized discussion of contemporary cybersecurity is coming to TechCrunch Disrupt SF. I’ll be joined onstage by some of the leading security experts to discuss cyber threats from hostile foreign governments, rogue hacker groups, corporate espionage, and complications of the surveillance state.

Heather Adkins was head of cybersecurity at Google at just 25 years old and is now a veteran in securing one of the most sought-after Internet companies in the world.

Kevin Mandia, CEO of Mandiant, made front-page headlines around the world after unmasking China’s infamous cyber army. Within the industry, it’s known that if you have to call Mandia, you have serious problems from the toughest cyber criminals on the net.

Ted Schlein of Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers knows as much about the business of cyber security –both defense and offense — as anyone in Silicon Valley. Governments have big money to throw at cyber defense and it’s Schlein’s job to identify the most profitable private partners.

When the National Security Agency made headlines this summer, media outlets turned to arguably the most knowledgeable journalist on the secret spy organization, James Bamford.

Now, imagine all the contentious ethical quandaries and business pressures that come from cybersecurity. We’ll be discussing all of these, sometimes with fierce disagreement, with people who have staked their reputations on being right. This panel kicks off at 11:30 on Tuesday, September 10.

General-admission tickets and exhibitor packages are currently available. Buy tickets here.

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