Protecting Yourself Online & IRL @ CodeMash

CodeMash 2013 was my first big tech conference, and since then I’ve only missed two years of the conference. I’ve also been privileged enough to speak at CodeMash 2017 and again last year. Those are just a few of the reasons I’m thrilled to announce that I’ll be speaking again this year at CodeMash 2020!

This year is especially exciting, as I’ll be giving my first KidzMash talk!

Emily loved posing with Spider-man at a sponsor booth last year

What’s KidzMash, you ask? KidzMash is CodeMash’s conference within a conference, targeting the families of CodeMash attendees. The younger kids might watch movies, build box forts, or make crafts. The older kids can opt to learn more about how computers work, explore 3D printing, or even get hands-on with robotics!

There’s something special about getting to bring your family to a conference with you and knowing they won’t just be cooped up in a hotel room. The Kalahari, long-time home to CodeMash, is a family-friendly indoor waterpark, hotel, and convention center — perfect to keep everyone entertained.

Protecting Yourself Online and IRL

This is a brand-new talk, which I’m using as practice for when I need to explain these subjects to my daughter as she gets older.

There’s an old adage about fools and money being easily separated, but the same can be said for data. Every day, people are finding new and innovative ways to harvest information about you, whether it’s for fame, fortune, or just for the lulz.

You don’t need to be a victim, though. Applying some basic operational and information security (“OpSec” and “InfoSec”, respectively) principles, we can better protect our personal information from those who might try to steal it.

In this talk, we’ll cover the fundamentals of what you should know to protect yourself both online and out in the real world. We’ll cover topics including password security, phishing attacks, social engineering, and more. Attendees will leave with actionable steps they can use to reduce their own personal attack surfaces, along with a better understanding of the threats we face every day.

If you haven’t been to CodeMash before, I highly recommend it. It’s not your average conference, and is a great way to think warm thoughts as Ohio plunges into winter.

I hope to see you there!