Recently, the CNYRIC received the exciting news that one of its own - Senior Network Administrator Motahar Ali - had been asked to present at the upcoming NYSERNet Conference on Oct. 8-9 in East Syracuse! This annual conference gathers the best and brightest from a variety of tech-related disciplines to “talk shop” on current issues, and keep an eye out for what’s on the horizon.
At the conference, Motahar will be presenting on "Essential Network Security Best Practices,” a topic that is front-of-mind for any technology professional, but particularly school districts who have been trusted to safeguard student and teacher data. Motahar’s presentation will cover essential network security practices for institutions, including firewall configuration, access policies, VPN management, VLAN segmentation, and the critical role of EDR/NDR/MDR/XDR. Attendees will learn about the importance of multi-factor authentication, data filtering, vendor management, email security, inventory control, and patching strategies to protect educational networks from evolving threats.
For his part, Motahar can’t wait to convene with his peers.
“Technology conferences have their own beauty,” claims Motahar. “Professionals coming together to discuss cutting-edge technologies, national and global threats, policies, strategies and so on. So, presenting and/or participating in a conference like this is a great opportunity to enrich skills and gain experience.”
In terms of his presentation, according to Motahar, there are plenty of threats out there to be wary of.
“Technology is ever-changing,” says Motahar. “According to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3): From the years 2018 to 2022, the IC3 received a total of 3.26 million complaints, with reported losses totalling more than $27 6 billion. And the threat is literally growing; in 2018 the approximate loss was $2.7 billion, but just four years later, it went up to $10.3 billion in 2022.”
Concerningly, there are multiple methods by which bad actors can affect this kind of loss, as Motahar explains.
“Downloading malware, weak password policies, visiting unsecured sites, unauthorized file sharing, and proper implementation of updates are critical areas to account for. And the consequences could lead to damage in both organizational trust and reputation, exposure of confidential data, financial losses, and even lawsuits. The shortage of skilled staff still is a serious problem.”
He cites another specific example, and it’s a burgeoning technology that’s near the top among the zeitgeist.
“As an example: AI (artificial intelligence) is a new technology that can make life easier in many regards,” explains Motahar. “On the other hand, this exciting tech is also opening the door to dishonest actors and comes with new security risks, noticeable bias/discrimination in terms of data collection, and holds still-emerging ethical and privacy concerns.”
Luckily, many of these problems can be avoided with the proper protections in place, and that’s some of what Motahar will be discussing.
“Even the most well-defined and reputable technology cannot keep an organization safe by itself,” admits Motahar. “Human error, the misuse of privileges, or stolen credentials can all cause disaster for an organization. So equipping people with the right skills and utilizing the right experts are the backbone of any organization.”
*Per its website, “NYSERNet is a non-profit organization. Our mission is to advance the research and educational missions of our members by delivering a full range of customized, progressive, and affordable end-to-end data and networking technology solutions.”
At the conference, Motahar will be presenting on "Essential Network Security Best Practices,” a topic that is front-of-mind for any technology professional, but particularly school districts who have been trusted to safeguard student and teacher data. Motahar’s presentation will cover essential network security practices for institutions, including firewall configuration, access policies, VPN management, VLAN segmentation, and the critical role of EDR/NDR/MDR/XDR. Attendees will learn about the importance of multi-factor authentication, data filtering, vendor management, email security, inventory control, and patching strategies to protect educational networks from evolving threats.
For his part, Motahar can’t wait to convene with his peers.
“Technology conferences have their own beauty,” claims Motahar. “Professionals coming together to discuss cutting-edge technologies, national and global threats, policies, strategies and so on. So, presenting and/or participating in a conference like this is a great opportunity to enrich skills and gain experience.”
In terms of his presentation, according to Motahar, there are plenty of threats out there to be wary of.
“Technology is ever-changing,” says Motahar. “According to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3): From the years 2018 to 2022, the IC3 received a total of 3.26 million complaints, with reported losses totalling more than $27 6 billion. And the threat is literally growing; in 2018 the approximate loss was $2.7 billion, but just four years later, it went up to $10.3 billion in 2022.”
Concerningly, there are multiple methods by which bad actors can affect this kind of loss, as Motahar explains.
“Downloading malware, weak password policies, visiting unsecured sites, unauthorized file sharing, and proper implementation of updates are critical areas to account for. And the consequences could lead to damage in both organizational trust and reputation, exposure of confidential data, financial losses, and even lawsuits. The shortage of skilled staff still is a serious problem.”
He cites another specific example, and it’s a burgeoning technology that’s near the top among the zeitgeist.
“As an example: AI (artificial intelligence) is a new technology that can make life easier in many regards,” explains Motahar. “On the other hand, this exciting tech is also opening the door to dishonest actors and comes with new security risks, noticeable bias/discrimination in terms of data collection, and holds still-emerging ethical and privacy concerns.”
Luckily, many of these problems can be avoided with the proper protections in place, and that’s some of what Motahar will be discussing.
“Even the most well-defined and reputable technology cannot keep an organization safe by itself,” admits Motahar. “Human error, the misuse of privileges, or stolen credentials can all cause disaster for an organization. So equipping people with the right skills and utilizing the right experts are the backbone of any organization.”
*Per its website, “NYSERNet is a non-profit organization. Our mission is to advance the research and educational missions of our members by delivering a full range of customized, progressive, and affordable end-to-end data and networking technology solutions.”
