WABI advances cybersecurity conference
WABI (Channel 5) reported members of the public are invited to attend free presentations and tutorials during the annual conference of the U.S. Chapter of the International Emergency Management Society (TIEMS) at the University of Maine. The event, which runs June 12–16, is sponsored by the UMaine Cybersecurity Lab and the University of Maine System. “Computers are everywhere. If you’re carrying a smartphone, you’re carrying a very powerful computer,” said George Markowsky, a professor of computer science at UMaine who helped organize the conference. “It’s kind of a backbone that a lot of services rely on.” Understanding both the positives as well as the pitfalls of cyber technology during a disaster is the theme of this year’s event, WABI reported. “How do we better educate our citizenry to deal with the constant cyber harassment, cyberattacks that they’re under?” Markowsky asks. “Sometimes they don’t even realize that they’re being attacked. [With] proper organization, proper training, they can really improve their skills a lot. And that is our hope — to get people to not give up.” The Associated Press also previewed the conference. U.S. News & World Report, Miami Herald and The Kansas City Star carried the AP report.