The Cybersecurity Legal Institute at the University of South Carolina School of Law is helping businesses learn how to manage cyber risk and be prepared to respond to a potentially devastating cyberattack. The Institute, to be held on Thursday, April 4 at the law school, is being produced in partnership with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and will bring national cybersecurity and privacy experts together to share their insights on the rapidly evolving threat landscape.

“This conference couldn’t be more timely,” says Rob Wilcox, dean of the School of Law. "We are growing increasingly dependent on technology to perform our jobs, and that is something that hackers are literally banking on.”

“We are growing increasingly dependent on technology to perform our jobs, and that is something that hackers are literally banking on.”

A 2018 study by the Ponemon Institute [pdf] revealed that there were approximately 850 million ransomware infections, with an average cost of $3.9 million per data breach. In 2019, the global cost of ransomware is predicted to exceed $11.5 billion.

And that’s just for one type of cyber-attack. Other types include Business Email Compromise, Social Engineering Malware, Insider Threats, Hacktivist, and more. And as security and threat detection systems have become more sophisticated, hackers have turned to social engineering tools, knowing that it’s easier to trick an employee into giving them access to the company’s sensitive crown jewels than it is to break into the system. In fact, Karen Painter Randall, director of the law school’s Cybersecurity Legal Task Force, estimates that approximately 90 percent of cyber claims stem from human error or behavior.

“The ‘people factor’ is often-overlooked and further proof that we can no longer relegate cybersecurity to the IT department,” she says. “Regular employee security awareness training and simulated attacks are a critical element in building a solid defense.

“Institute attendees will not only come away with a better understanding of how an organization becomes vulnerable to these different types attacks, but they will also learn about resilience strategies, including specific steps to take to shore up their defenses, and how to implement an incident response plan and team to ensure a timely response to mitigate legal, operational and reputational loss.”

The conference will also explore other security and privacy issues, including:

• How to manage risk created by third party vendors
• How to determine if you need to comply with the new California Consumer Privacy Act
• What Artificial Intelligence can (and can’t) do to in your business operations
• How to procure the right cyber liability insurance policy for your business needs

“Having the FBI as a partner who will share information on the threat landscape is a reflection of the overall quality of the presenters who will be a part of the Institute,” says Randall. “We know it will take a strong collaboration between academic, legal, private and public organizations to fight these cyber criminals, and we are fortunate to have some of the nation’s leading authorities on cybersecurity take part in the Institute.”

Panelists and keynote speakers include experts from the Federal Trade Commission, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, AXIS Capital, the Center for Internet Security, CI Security, Connell Foley LLP, Cyber Special Ops LLC, CyberInsecurity News, CyberSC, Dominion Energy, Deloitte & Touche LLP, Federal Bureau of Investigation, FINEX Cyber, Friedman CyZen LLC, Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP, Kroll, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Pierce Bainbridge LLP, ROSS Intelligence, State of South Carolina, Soteria, South Carolina Insurance Reserve Fund, South Carolina Ports Authority, and Stasmayer Inc.

The full agenda and list of speakers is available online.

Tickets and sponsorships are available and may be purchased at  https://uofsclaw.us/cyberlawtix19.

Admission costs are:

• $225 for general audience
• $150 for government/non-profit employees
• FREE for University of South Carolina faculty, staff and students who register with their sc.edu email address

The Institute has been approved for 5.25 hours of CLE credit in South Carolina. Forms will be available for out-of-state attorneys, confirming their attendance and CLE approval by the South Carolina Bar.

The University of South Carolina School of Law is located at 1525 Senate Street in Columbia, South Carolina. For more information about the Institute, contact lawnews@law.sc.edu.