The five-day event hosted by non-profit, open-source organisation seeks to plug application security knowledge gap in an ever-evolving cybersecurity sector
OWASP (Open Web Application Security Project) AppSec Europe, the premier application security conference for European developers and security experts, has unveiled its first three keynote speakers. The event is hosted by OWASP Foundation, an open-source, not-for-profit application security organisation made up of corporations, educational organisations and individuals from around the world.
Mario Heiderich, founder at Cure53, Ross Anderson, Professor of Security Engineering at the Computer Laboratory, University of Cambridge and Georgia Weidman, founder at Bulb Security LLC will present their keynotes during the event at a time of unprecedented change in Europe’s cybersecurity sector.
The speeches will reflect the three tracks of this year’s show: developer, hacker and DevOps. The five-day conference begins on 2nd July, with a pre-conference training programme for three days. The main conference spans from 5th-6th July, with keynotes throughout the day from notable speakers alongside networking opportunities.
Martin Knobloch, Chairman at OWASP comments: “It’s clear there’s a flaw in our education system. When individuals go to university to study computer software, three years simply isn’t enough. To add to this, students are often taught by lecturers’ whose programming knowledge is outdated. Computer software moves at such a fast pace that universities should bring in external professionals to teach the latest language. Due to this issue, we’re witnessing huge skills gaps within the sector that quickly need addressing.
“It’s simply too easy for cybercriminals to access sensitive information these days. Which explains the increase of attacks at the application layer in the past year. For developers, security is still viewed as optional, rather than the default. This must change. And this is why education is at the core of the OWASP AppSec events. We’ve recruited the best in the business keynote speakers to share their knowledge with developer delegates.”
Owen Pendlebury, Global Board of Directors at OWASP comments: “What drew me to OWASP is the exposure to security rockstars and having the opportunity to learn from them. This is exactly what the event is focused on: helping those in the security community improve everything from their Secure Development Life Cycle (SDLC) to Security Program from a seriously impressive and knowledgeable lineup of speakers.”
“Our focus on training professionals is increasingly important as most developers come straight into the industry from college – often with bad habits instilled already. For example, to most programmers, the focus is on writing code that functions, regardless if it’s secure or not. This is the wrong mentality to have in today’s market where the code you wrote yesterday, is probably already vulnerable today.”
OWASP AppSec Europe will take place in Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, London between 2nd-6th July 2018. To register, go to: https://2018.appsec.eu/
