RSA Conference Debuts in Beijing

Experts from Around the World Gather for the Industry’s Most Authoritative Information Security Summit; Arthur W. Coviello, Jr., RSA President, Provides Solutions for Building Confidence in Cloud Computing

October 21-22, 2010, the RSA® Conference China InfoSec Forum, sponsored by RSA Conference and co-managed by the Chinese Institute of Electronics (CIE), taking place in Beijing, marking its China debut. As the world’s most authoritative information security summit, the forum includes officials from China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, several of whom will deliver talks at the event.

Arthur W. Coviello

Arthur W. Coviello, Jr., Executive Vice President, EMC Corporation and President, RSA, The Security Division of EMC, commented, “Cloud Computing is driving a new era of economic growth. However, with some lingering security issues, businesses still lack the confidence to fully adopt this transformative technology. Thus we need a more holistic, systemic, built-in approach to security. Just as cyber criminals operate as an ecosystem, we need an opposing ecosystem comprised of enterprises, vendors, and governments working together to defeat our common enemies from the criminal hacker community. ”

Arthur W. Coviello

Every year, RSA Conference attracts tens of thousands of global information security professionals who regard RSA Conference as a key indicator of the latest trends in the global information security industry. In March, 2010, seven Chinese information security companies, TOPSEC, NSFOCUS, Venusense, Leadsec, Legendsec Technology, NetentSec, and Feitian, organized by the management committee of Beijing Zhongguancun Science Park, participated in the RSA Conference in San Francisco. By hosting its latest forum in China, RSA Conference facilitates Chinese companies, experts, and professionals to communicate face-to-face with top international experts in the field.  

A special program committee of RSA Conference set the agenda and rigorously selected the speakers and topics. The forum featured five trending information security topics: cloud-computing security trusted computing, anti-fraud, compliance, and cryptography. About half of the 50 speakers are foreigners who are highly recognized by RSA Conference, and the other half consisted of Chinese experts and industrial professionals recognized as leaders in information security.

One of the highlights of the forum is a panel discussion entitled “Entrepreneurship and Innovation Forum for Chinese Information Security Companies,” at which senior management from leading Chinese companies share their experiences in building companies with international colleagues.

Arthur Coviello said: “As the world’s second largest economy, China is very much a part of an interdependent world. More effort from Chinese companies is needed to strengthen global information security.”

The evidence of such cross boundaries threats have accumulated in recent years. According to a study by the RSA Anti Fraud Command Center, phishing levels in China increased 78% this year. 99 percent of Phishing attacks in China are aimed at online retail websites. That’s a direct attack against economic growth. A report released by CNCERT, shows that 740 network counterfeit cases were reported to the organization in the first six months of 2010 and 318 of them have been successfully processed and classified. Most counterfeited websites were well-known foreign financial trading institutions. Meanwhile, 233,000 IP addresses (servers) in mainland China were under control of Zombie networks, with most of the hosts originating from outside of China.

Since 1995, a unique theme has been chosen every year and chosen by a specific contribution or illustration related to information security. The story and design are highlighted throughout the event. For October’s event, the forum chose Chinese Tiger Talisman as the theme. As early as 221 BC, Tiger Talismans were used to send messages from the Emperor to military officers in the field for the purpose of facilitating military or diplomatic operations in ancient times. The order would be engraved onto the face of the talisman and the entire piece was then split in half. If the two pieces matched, the message was verified or authenticated. 2010 also marks the year of the Tiger in Chinese culture. The Tiger is a symbol of power and authority and embodies leadership – a trait shared by many of the speakers at this event.