Each year, the Institute for Cyber Security, in collaboration with IT Support, hosts Cyber Security Day. This daylong event features nationally recognized security experts as well as speakers from law enforcement, government, the security industry, and academia. Cyber Security Day is open to the public, community colleges, and neighboring universities.

2024 Event Details

  • Date: Tuesday, October 29, 2024
  • Time: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
  • Location: HUB, Ohio Room, 319 Pratt Drive, Indiana, PA 15705

 

Information for the Event

The seventeenth annual Cyber Security Day will be held on October 29, 2024. The schedule, flyer, and additional information will be posted on this page soon!

Guest Speakers

Matt Isnor

Program Lead, DOD Cyber Workforce Development Branch, US Department of Defense

Matt Isnor

Matt Isnor an expert in the federal cyber workforce with DoD/CIO and is the former Cyber Mission Force program lead for training for US Cyber Command. He currently is the program lead for the development and refinement of standardizing the cyberspace workforce through work roles included in the DoD Cyberspace Workforce Framework. He is also responsible for leading the effort in DoD CIO to create the 8140 Policy Series, which sets the qualification program for all of DoD. Another area is that he is one of the cochairs with NSA and USCYBERCOM to lead the development of Cyber Institutes as each of the senior military colleges. 

Isnor holds a master of business administration with a concentration in information systems from Hawaii Pacific University and a master’s of cybersecurity from Webster University.

Joey Mathews

Superintendent of the Information Technology Division, US Naval Research Laboratory

Joey Mathews

Joey Mathews is the superintendent of the Information Technology Division at the US Naval Research Laboratory. He leads a broad-based program of research and development spanning artificial intelligence and autonomy, networking and communications, information operations, high-assurance systems and cyber warfare, knowledge management and decision support, and computational science.

Damon Smith

Technical Director for Computer Network Operations, National Security Agency

Damon Smith

Damon Smith has been programming and reverse engineering software for NSA since 2005. He has a master's in information security from Carnegie Mellon University and a bachelor's in computer science from Dartmouth College. Damon has worked for NSA in Maryland, overseas, and, since 2017, in Colorado.

Bryant Wysocki

Technical Advisor for C5ISRT, US Air Force and Space Force

Bryant Wysocki

Bryant Wysocki, a senior-level executive, is the technical advisor for C5ISRT for the US Air Force and Space Force.  Bryant provides technical oversight of these areas for the department and advises senior leadership. He holds a PhD in electrical engineering from Cornell University. 

More Information

For more information about Cyber Security Day at IUP, please contact Waleed Farag, Director, Institute for Cybersecurity, at farag@iup.edu, 724-357-7995.

Titles and Abstracts

Matt Isnor-Program Lead, DOD Cyber Workforce Development Branch, US Department of Defense

  • Title: Growing the Next Generation of Cyber Talent
  • Abstract: The increasing prevalence of cyber threats highlight the critical need for the Department of Defense to have a capable and ready cyber workforce.  Developing such a workforce involves a multi-disciplinary approach across policy, program development, strategy, data analytics, and data science that will drive innovation and development across the cyber workforce. This presentation will provide information on the DoD CIO’s by Cyber Workforce Strategy Implementation Plan, DoD Cyber Workforce Framework, DoD 8140 Cyberspace Workforce Management and Qualification Program, Academic Outreach, and Cyber Excepted Service. Through targeted initiatives, investment in personnel, and a commitment to continuous development activities, we can build and sustain an agile, capable, and ready cyber workforce.

Joey Mathews - Superintendent of the Information Technology Division, US Naval Research Laboratory

  • Title: Navy Cyber Science & Technology
  • Abstract: In 1915, American inventor Thomas Edison opined, “The Government should maintain a great research laboratory to develop guns, new explosives, and all the technique of military and naval progression without any vast expense.” This statement led to the creation of the Naval Research Laboratory in 1923. One hundred years later, NRL has changed the way the military fights, and tilted the world’s balance of power on at least three occasions with the first U.S. radar, the world’s first intelligence satellite, and the first operational satellite of the Global Positioning System. NRL’s Information Technology Division carries out research and development in the collection, transmission, assurance, and processing of information to provide Naval and joint warfighting forces with the means to achieve and maintain information dominance. In this talk, I will discuss factors which motivate Naval science & technology investments, cybersecurity considerations for Navy platforms, and opportunities for students to engage with and contribute to the Navy’s innovation ecosystem.

Damon Smith - Technical Director for Computer Network Operations, National Security Agency

  • Title: The Software Reverse Engineering Skillset
  • Abstract: Seasoned software reverse engineers at the National Security Agency draw from a wide and esoteric set of skills to support NSA’s cybersecurity and foreign intelligence missions. Bringing new reverse engineers up to speed can take months or years. This talk considers the skills and competencies an aspiring reverse engineer might focus on to improve their readiness for a career in cybersecurity and the intelligence community.

Matt Isnor-Program Lead, DOD Cyber Workforce Development Branch, US Department of Defense

  • Title: The Convergence of Cyber, Information Warfare, and AI
  • Abstract: The convergence of cyber, information warfare, and artificial intelligence (AI), is reshaping global power competition by integrating AI-driven capabilities into cyber operations and information campaigns. This fusion enables activities like automated threat response, adaptive cyber maneuvers, and AI-powered misinformation, that significantly enhance the impact of hybrid warfare strategies. As these technologies blur the lines between competition and conflict, they present societal challenges and raise critical ethical and legal questions. This talk will explore the implications of this convergence, highlighting the need for new defense approaches and international norms to address the evolving landscape of AI-enhanced activities.

Previous Events 

Each year, the Institute for Cyber Security, in collaboration with IT Services, hosts Cyber Security Day (known previously as Information Assurance Day). This day-long event features nationally recognized security experts as well as speakers from the government, the security industry, and academia. Cyber Security Day is open to all IUP members, the public, community colleges, and neighboring universities.

Below is brief information about previous years' events.

15th Annual Cyber Security Day - October 18, 2022

Topics included:  countermeasures and risk management, evolution of FBI investigations, information warfare, and security design for systems.

14th Annual Cyber Security Day - October 26, 2021

Topics included: blockchains, cybersecurity tools, cyber war, and cybersecurity careers.

13th Annual Cyber Security Day - October 20, 2020 

Topics included: privacy, digital rights, digital resilience, and cybersecurity employment.

12th Annual Cyber Security Day - October 29, 2019

Topics included: IoT, career opportunities, cyberscience and geoinformatics, and cybersecurity in higher education.

11th Annual Cyber Security Day - October 30, 2018

Topics included: machine learning, future threats, ransomware, and the changing landscape.

10th Annual Cyber Security Day - October 26, 2017

Topics included: phishing, cyber power, the employment landscape, and current challenges.

9th Annual Information Assurance Day - November 3, 2016

Topics included: innovation, wireless security, cyber security awareness, combating cyber crime, and cyberspace operations.

7th Annual Information Assurance Day - October 30, 2014

Topics included: centric access control, security awareness, social engineering, and computer forensics.

6th Annual Information Assurance - November 7, 2013

Topics included: hypervision framework, cybersecurity jobs, police and computer forensics, and database systems.

5th Annual Information Assurance Day - November 1, 2012

Topics included: electronic voting, improving privacy, computer crime investigation, and mobile device security.

4th Annual Information Assurance Day - November 10, 2011

Topics included: threat monitoring, red team approaches, enterprise security, and cyber crime.

3rd Annual Information Assurance Day - November 9, 2010

Topics included: cloud forensics, cyber crime, and network security, among others. 

2nd Annual Information Assurance Day - November 5, 2009

Topics included: current and emerging threats in health care security and digital forensics.

1st Annual Information Assurance Day - November 7, 2008

Topics included: incident response, new and evolving threats, and creating value from vulnerability.