RSA 2014: The Wrap Up

Social-Engineer, LLC loaded up cast and crew to spend the week in San Francisco for RSA 2014.  We were an hour into the first day and we knew one thing; we should have brought comfortable shoes and some massive umbrellas. With the venue extending through the entire Moscone Center, there were acres of exhibitors and presentations to see.

Our team, although amazing, ended up getting soaked the first day due to some much-needed rain in San Francisco.  

Let the Fun Begin!

We got off to a great start with an interview between Chris and Alicia Webb from SecureNinja. With the release of Chris’ new book, there was plenty to talk about as they watched the 20K+ attendees and discussed what their non-verbals had to say about them.

As always, Alicia was a lot of fun and a great interviewer.  Her team is top-notch pros and we know you will enjoy the video when it is posted.  We’ll be updating our social media when that interview is released.

The Presentation

Chris and Michele gave their presentation, “When the Phone is More Dangerous than Malware” over two days to packed rooms. We had lively discussions post-talk with security professionals on both days. The good news is that companies are becoming more aware of the dangers of social engineering and are finally starting to make gains in education and mitigation. The bad news is our time with other organizations confirmed what the headlines continue to tell us; malicious attackers are still finding ways to exploit both technology and the human element.

In between presentations and various hallway conferences, Chris had his book signing. There probably isn’t a much better venue than RSA for the unveiling of one’s second book! We are pleased to report that turnout was great and the book has received several outstanding reviews (thank you to all of our loyal supporters).

 The Business End of this Trip

We had numerous meetings set all week.  Really, it was an excellent time learning from many companies what keeps them going and how they are trying to protect themselves.

While out on the West Coast, we took the opportunity to meet with good friend and mentor, Dr. Paul Ekman.  

What a great evening of awesome conversation, excellent food, and even better company. Words can’t really express what it’s like being able to spend time getting insight into the man as well as his tremendous body of work. It’s obvious that he could teach us all something about being compassionate and generous human beings. From the entire company, thank you, Dr. Ekman.

In a nutshell, it was a fantastic week. Oh, and by the way, Michele made Chris buy her new shoes before the end of the show. Thanks RSA, for a great conference.