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There is now a CONTENT FREEZE for Mercury while we switch to a new platform. It began on Friday, March 10 at 6pm and will end on Wednesday, March 15 at noon. No new content can be created during this time, but all material in the system as of the beginning of the freeze will be migrated to the new platform, including users and groups. Functionally the new site is identical to the old one. webteam@gatech.edu
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Tara La Bouff, tara.labouff@iisp.gatech.edu, 404.769.5408
Summary Sentence: Christopher Smoak, division chief the Cyber Technology & Information Security Lab, delivers a guest lecture about the evolution of malware.
Full Summary: No summary paragraph submitted.
Cybersecurity Lecture Series
Jackson National Life Insurance CompanyThe weekly Cybersecurity Lecture Series is a free, open-to-the-public lecture from a thought leader who is advancing the field of information security and privacy. Invited speakers include executives and researchers from private companies, government agencies, start-up incubators as well as Georgia Tech faculty and students presenting their research.
Held weekly each Friday at Noon through Dec. 2, lectures are open to all -- students, faculty, industry, government, or simply the curious. Students may register for credit under seminar course CS-8001-INF.
Complimentary lunch provided for registered guests. Please bring your own beverage.
Sign up to receive future lecture announcements.
ABSTRACT | Over the past decade, malware has continued to evolve to adapt to increasing pressure from prevention and detection technologies. Techniques that were relied upon previously are no longer effective, while some persist across generations and families. This lecture paints a picture of how malware has adapted across numerous platforms, including Windows, Linux, OSX, and mobile devices. It describes an iterative evolutionary chain of advancements that has been observed from years of malware analysis efforts—perhaps including a surprising trend. Throughout the lecture, potential motivations for attackers will be addressed, providing a foundation for understanding future threats.
BIO | Christopher Smoak is a senior researcher and chief of the Emerging Threats and Countermeasures Division within the Georgia Tech Research Institute’s Cyber Technology and Information Security Laboratory (CTISL). He is a hacker and technologist with over 15 years of experience in the security industry. He’s architected and built numerous security-related tools targeting malware analysis, information collection, threat analytics, vulnerability discovery, and information sharing. Smoak has been an outspoken advocate for increased sharing and dialogue within the security community.
Smoak has worked within both government and commercial sectors to build and deploy these systems to organizations requiring novel solutions to increasingly complex problem sets. He has leveraged a wide array of technologies including artificial intelligence, statistical analysis, and parallel computing in unique ways, building new approaches to overcome such challenges. Chris frequently speaks on security related topics and has been consulted as a subject matter expert for both televised and print media across United States and Europe. He holds a B.S. and M.S. in Computer Science from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Supported by Jackson National Life Insurance Company
