We’re pleased to announce the immediate availability of the RVAsec 2019 videos!
Click through to watch all presentations on YouTube, and all the slides are now available as well!
RVAsec 2020 Registration Is Now Open!
Tickets for RVAsec 2020 are now on sale!
Early registration price is only $175 for two days of great speakers, food and beverages, t-shirt, swag, parking and more!
RVAsec’s base ticket price for 2020 is $225 and will be in place after 2/1–so don’t wait! And if that’s not enough incentive to purchase your tickets early, late registrations (after 3/20) will be $300!
Don’t forget all the things you get with registration, including 2 full days of talks, meals, snacks, drinks, reception, after party, prizes, a capture the flag contest, t-shirt & swag!
Once we sell out there will be no more tickets available. Please remember you are not guaranteed shirts, bags and badges if you register late.
So, to recap the conference prices:
- $175 discounted price until 1/31
- $225 regular price until 3/20
- $300 late registration until 4/24
- $425 super late registration until 5/1
If you are unable to attend due to the price, please contact us to discuss as we do have stipends available for students and also have volunteer opportunities that provide a great way to get in for free!
Once again there will be no tickets sold at the door, and don’t forget that RVAsec has sold out every year–so don’t wait! Please note there are no refunds due to processing fees. You can however easily transfer your ticket.
Register now!
RVAsec 2020 CFP is now open!
The call for papers for RVAsec 2020 is now open!
Click here to submit a talk to the CFP now!
Conference: May 5-6th, 2020
Location: Richmond, VA
CFP Submission Deadline: March 1st, 2020 at 11:59 PM Eastern
RVAsec is a Richmond, VA based security convention that brings top industry speakers to the midatlantic region. In its eighth year, RVAsec 2019 attracted over 750 security professionals from across the country. For 2020, the conference is a two day and three track format, with a mixed focus on technical and management/business presentations.
Information:
- Conference location: Richmond, VA
- Dates: May 5-6, 2020
- All talks must be 50 minutes in length
- Presenters will need to select technical, business/management, or 101 tracks.
- While we welcome foreign speakers, we are unable provide sponsorship for entry to the U.S.
We try to treat our speakers well with a special VIP event, gifts, and travel assistance (if possible). Join us at RVAsec and enjoy the perks! Join us at RVAsec and enjoy the perks!
For more information and requirements, or to submit, please visit:
https://forms.gle/wo1FhhcCG1Fn1pHp6
RVAsec 2020 – May 5-6
We’re pleased to formally announce dates for RVAsec 2020!
Due to some unforeseen scheduling conflicts at VCU we have had to move up the dates for 2020.
The 9th Annual RVAsec conference will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday, May 5th and 6th at the Commonwealth Ballroom at VCU’s University Commons.
If you are interested in speaking, keep an eye out for a CFP announcement coming shortly!
Sponsorships are still available, but as a reminder we sell out every year so please contact us soon if interested!
RVAsec 2019 Proof of Attendance
If you need proof of attendance for your CISSP or other certification CPEs, please use this PDF.
Instructions:
- Print the RVAsec 2019 proof of attendance PDF and add your name
- Bring the printout to RVAsec
- Ask one of the staff at the registration desk to sign your form
Proof of attendance:
Speaker feature: Charles Tango
Charles is the Chief Information Security Officer at Altria, the parent company of producers of superior 
branded tobacco and wine products such as Philip Morris USA and Ste. Michelle Wine Estates.
Charles also represents Altria on the board of the Richmond Technology Council, which supports technology innovation in the greater Richmond area, as well as the board of the Virginia Cybersecurity Partnership—a joint information sharing organization between government agencies and the private sector. Additionally he is a member of IBM Security’s Advisory Board, and a board member of a block chain venture capital fund / accelerator – Bloccelerate.
Prior to his role at Altria, Charles held senior level Information Security positions with financial institutions in the NY metro area, including Chief Information Security & Risk Officer for Sterling National Bank and Senior Vice President, IT & Operational Risk at Citigroup. During his time in NY he was also a charter founding member of the NY ISC2 Chapter.
branded tobacco and wine products such as Philip Morris USA and Ste. Michelle Wine Estates.Charles also represents Altria on the board of the Richmond Technology Council, which supports technology innovation in the greater Richmond area, as well as the board of the Virginia Cybersecurity Partnership—a joint information sharing organization between government agencies and the private sector. Additionally he is a member of IBM Security’s Advisory Board, and a board member of a block chain venture capital fund / accelerator – Bloccelerate.
Prior to his role at Altria, Charles held senior level Information Security positions with financial institutions in the NY metro area, including Chief Information Security & Risk Officer for Sterling National Bank and Senior Vice President, IT & Operational Risk at Citigroup. During his time in NY he was also a charter founding member of the NY ISC2 Chapter.
Being Secure Doesn’t Mean You Are Managing Risk
Charles will explain the beginner concepts of identifying, quantifying, qualifying, and decisioning risks with a focus on how this differs from the practice of cybersecurity.
Come see Charles at RVAsec! Register now.
Speaker feature: Barry Kouns
Barry Kouns is CEO at Risk Based Security, a vulnerability intelligence, organizational ratings,
and on-demand security solutions firm. Barry’s experience includes information security consulting, risk assessment and quality management. Barry has full knowledge of GLBA, FFIEC, HIPAA, Sarbanes-Oxley, and ISO 27001 and is well versed with PCI DSS, ISO 9001, COBIT, FISMA, NIST 800-53, BS 25999, ISO 31000 and ISO 20000. He has earned a B.S. in Statistics from Virginia Tech and a M.S. in Industrial Engineering Management from North Dakota State University. He has earned the CISSP designation, is a trained ISO/IEC 27001:2013 Auditor & ISMS Implementer, and is ITIL Foundation Certified. Barry was a Captain in the United States Air Force and served as a B-52H Bombardier.
Risk Assessment – The Heart of Risk-based Security
Everywhere you look today you see “risk-based security” being touted as the next big thing. Knowing your assets, understanding the threats and vulnerabilities that may impact those assets, and calculating a risk score in order to prioritize mitigation actions, should be every organization’s goal. Risk-based security is not accomplished by performing a risk assessment exercise once a year. It requires a continuous assessment of your organization’s risk posture. Too many businesses think that completing a risk assessment is a difficult and complicated process that requires expensive software and can only be done by third party consultants. As a result, risk assessments are not conducted or conducted once and stored away to show the auditors. Risk assessments are essential in order to assure that the expenditures involved in mitigating vulnerabilities and the implementation of security controls are commensurate with the risks facing the organization. Attend this interactive session to explore the definitions, methodologies, structure and the expected results of a proper risk assessment that can be produced by your organization
Come see Barry at RVAsec! Register now.
Speaker feature: Chandos Carrow
Chandos Carrow is a Co-Information Security Officer for the Virginia Department of Health. He has worked for the Commonwealth of Virginia for more than 10 years and has been with the VDH for almost 2 years. Chandos has worked in several state agencies in his career including healthcare and higher education. He obtained his Master of Science in Information Systems from VCU and his CISSP from (ISC) 2. He is a member of several information security user groups including the (ISC) 2 Richmond Metro Chapter, Virginia Cyber Security Partnership, and Commonwealth of Virginia Information Security Council’s Conference and Knowledge Sharing Committees. Chandos enjoys giving back the knowledge he has obtained over his career and is currently an adjunct IT professor at Bryant & Stratton College in Richmond.
Security Mind Expansion
Information security is always changing and to keep up with these changes we need to somehow upgrade the professionals to keep up. In order to do this we need to expand the brain of the information security professionals. In this presentation we will cover several modern day philosophy concepts and how to incorporate these concepts into your everyday practice. These concepts include: ontological design, looking-glass self, feedback loops, flow state, cognitive play. Applying these concepts will hopefully expand your mind and improve how information security is conducted.
Come see Chandos at RVAsec! Register now.
Hospitality Sponsor: Lacework
We are pleased to welcome Lacework as a Hospitality Sponsor this year! All the food and drink served on Thursday 23rd will be sponsored by them, so be sure to stop by their table to say hi and thank them for feeding everyone!
RVAsec 2019. Register now!
Speaker Feature: Deana Shick
Deana Shick has been a Member of the Technical Staff at the Software Engineering Institute’s CERT 
Coordination Center (CERT/CC) for 5 years. Deana works on the Threat Ecosystem Analysis team where she researches and analyzes current and emerging threats and vulnerabilities. Prior to working at CERT/CC, Deana was an International Trade Specialist focusing on EAR and ITAR regulatory processes. In 2014, she completed her M.S. in Information Security Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University. Along with her position at CERT/CC, Deana teaches at the Heinz College at Carnegie Mellon University, and pioneered the Information Security program at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA.
Intro to Infosec and Overview of the 101 Track
Information Security is constantly in the news and making headlines. Which companies are breached? What are the impacts? How will the government respond to adversarial nations? The Internet still behaves much like the wild west – policy decisions are consistently being made and changed based on the structure and sustainability of the web. Organizations large and small are feeling the impacts of having a poor cyber security posture. This talk is perfect for those who are beginners, career changers, or anyone who needs a refresh on the building blocks of information security. It will discuss how data can be compromised, what those impacts are, and some suggestions of first steps. We will then dive into what vulnerabilities are and what to do about it. Finally, we will go over the things the rest of the 101 track will cover.
Come see Deana at RVAsec! Register now.