Brian Honan Headshot
Report a problem with this profile
[email protected]

Brian Honan        

Brian Honan is a recognised internationally as an expert on cybersecurity. He is a special advisor to Europol's Cybercrime Centre (EC3), founder of Ireland's first CERT, and sits on the advisory board for several innovative security companies. Brian is th

Brian Honan is a recognised internationally as an expert on cybersecurity. He formerly was a special advisor to Europol's Cybercrime Centre (EC3), founder of Ireland's first CERT, and sits on the advisory board for several innovative security companies. Brian is the author of several books and regularly contributes to various publications. For his contribution to the cybersecurity industry Brian has been awarded the "SC Magazine Information Security Person of the Year" and was also inducted into the Infosecurity Hall of Fame

Speech Topics


UNSCRAMBLING THE OMELETTE – HOW SHOULD ORGANISATIONS DEAL WITH SECURITY BREACHES IN THE MODERN PERIMETER-LESS NETWORK?

In today’s modern business many companies can no longer define the perimeter of their network by their own firewalls. With cloud computing, personal devices, social media, and the increasing sophistication of the attackers, companies need to no longer just defend their network – but more importantly defend where their data is. This presentation outlines both the risks posed to many business’s data and systems, and strategies on how to deal with those risks.

Hacking Senior Management - Selling Security to the Board

Security incidents are making mainstream media headlines. There is higher visibility than ever of the organisational impact bad security can have. Compliance issues are driving business to take security more seriously. So why is it that security professionals still lament not getting senior management buy in? Does the blame rest with the management or with security professionals themselves?

Mayans, Mayhem and Malware

This panel focuses on the persistent gaps and perennial conditions confronting organizations today, notably in areas of compliance and governance related to threat mitigation, education and awareness. Also, we examine the resurgence of advanced, malicious code & content intelligent enough to obfuscate, assess, re-assess and execute against a programmatic strategy.

Breach-Aholic Anonymous – What Can We Learn From Data Breaches?

Currently, there is no universal EU law to mandate firms within the European Union to alert regulators when they’ve suffered a breach. Given that this lack of mandated disclosure laws does not affect whether organisations are being attacked or not, this session will cover some of the lessons learned from a variety of data breaches

Disrupting the Progression of a Cyber Attack

Before medieval marauders had any hope of capturing the castle, they first had to overcome a series of obstacles designed to keep them from reaching their goal. By analyzing your adversary steps, you are in a better position to segment, analyze and mitigate an attack. In addition, firms can build a fortress of proactive defense controls and provide the time to react decisively.

Breach 360: How Top Attacks Impact Tomorrow’s Laws, Litigation, Security

e all know how the Target, Sony and Anthem breaches were seismic, but have you truly considered how the aftershocks of these breaches will forever change the security profession? See breach experts discuss:

The evolution of new breach laws and litigation in 2015; The latest attack targets and techniques; What to look for in the next-generation of security controls.

Show more speech topics
Creating a CERT at WARP Speed: How To Fast Track the Implementation of Your CERT

major challenge facing those trying to set up a Computer Emergency Response Team is developing the tools and platform to support the initiative. This session will look at how the WARP (Warning Advice and Reporting Point) platform can be used to facilitate the establishment of a CERT in a cost effective and efficient manner. After spending 4 years trying to convince the Irish Government to establish a national Computer Emergency Response Team with little or no progress, Brian Honan set up a not for profit company to offer CERT services to the Irish business community. However, faced with a very small budget Brian had to determine how best to implement the CERT without compromising the level of service provided to the target community. This talk will cover Brian's journey as he progressed from the initial conception to actually setting up IRISS-CERT,www.iriss.ie, which is now Ireland's only CERT. Brian will discuss how and why he decided what services were required by the business community and how he used the WARP (www.warp.gov.uk) platform to provide those services.

Being Secure in an Insecure World

Today our society, our economies, and our personal and business lives rely more and more on technology, information, and computer systems. While these new technologies and systems bring many benefits to us they also introduce many new threats. Cloud computing, Bring Your Own Devices, Internet of Things, wearable technologies, and social media are just some examples of how our lives are changing. In this ever changing world where technology is becoming more ubiquitous and user focussed how do we ensure the security of the information in our systems? In this talk Brian Honan will: Outline the challenges and threats new technologies are presenting to businesses Discuss how future trends may impact our businesses Present a number of steps on how to better deal with and manage these challenges while not restricting the benefits they bring

Show less speech topics

News


Irish IT security expert to be honoured
A well-known Irish IT security expert is to be inducted into the hall of fame at Europe's largest information security industry event. Brian Honan is being recognised for his long-term contribution to the information security sector by Infosecurity Europe. The founder and CEO of BH Consulting, Mr Honan was also a founder of Ireland's first Computer Emergency Response Team, and is a special advisor on internet security to Europol's Cyber Crime Centre (EC3).
Brian Honan to be inducted to Infosecurity Europe Hall of Fame
Irish security expert Brian Honan is to be inducted into the Infosecurity Europe Hall of Fame. Infosecurity Europe said Honan’s inclusion in its Hall of Fame recognises his “long term contribution to the information security sector, including his role as founder and CEO of Ireland’s first CERT; special advisor on internet security to Europol’s Cyber Crime Centre (EC3); and industry expert on information security, providing consulting services to clients in multiple industry segments, mentoring new professionals and lecturing on information security at University College Dublin”.
Our cyber policeman – Irish IT security expert appointed special adviser to Europol
Brian Honan has been appointed as a special adviser on internet security to Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) along with other security luminaries.
Irishman Brian Honan wins global IT security award
Brian Honan from BH Consulting has been named “Information Security Person of the Year” by influential IT security publication SC Magazine. The SC Magazine Awards honour professionals working to secure enterprises of all sizes, vendors and organisations that deliver innovative security technologies.
Track record: wherever you go online, you are being followed
There is something unsettling about an online retailer knowing you are pregnant before you have even told your family. Or a taxi app detecting that your smartphone battery is getting low while knowing their average customer will pay over the odds if they think their phone is about to die
While cybercriminals cooperate, cops and businesses stumble
Cyber-criminals can be pack animals. They work together, share information and coordinate operations. Their counterparts on the other side of the law often find themselves in comparative disarray.
Show more news
Ireland Police Boosts Cyber Capabilities
The Irish police force An Garda Síochána has announced that it will set up specialist units to liaise with international partners on current and emerging threats, and to provide cyber and forensic tools to support front line policing and state security.
What is FBI evidence for North Korea hack attack?
The FBI's analysis has concluded North Korea is to blame for the attack on Sony Pictures - but how can it be sure? As well as Pyongyang having a motive for taking serious issue with The Interview, there's a couple of pieces of key evidence the US is now using to pin the blame. However, they're not without flaws. As security researcher Brian Honan put it to me earlier: "I still don't see anything that in a court would convict North Korea beyond reasonable doubt.
Consumers warned of scam with contactless bank cards
Consumers have been warned about a new scam which targets people with contactless bank cards. SHARE It involves thieves wandering near people with a point-of-sale device - the same as those used in shops. The thief enters a price lower than €30, taps the device against a person's pockets, and then the consumer is charged.
Business warned as survey finds rise in Irish cybercrime outstrips average
Whether they’re investing in security cameras, expensive alarm systems or personnel to patrol buildings, most firms see spending on crime prevention as a worthwhile investment that helps protect their busines
Government websites taken down by sustained cyber attack
Government websites have come under a sustained cyber attack, causing massive disruption for citizens and the public service. Websites of a number of departments and agencies were down on Friday morning, including the HSE, the Central Statistics Office, the Department of Justice, the Courts Service and the Department of Defence.
Should Apple customers be worried by FBI’s unlocking of iPhone?
Hostilities in the phoney war have temporarily ceased. But the question now is should the average consumer be worried about the security of the data on their iPhone? On the face of it, it seems not. Security consultant Brian Honan of BH Consulting said the news that the FBI has managed to unlock the iPhone of San Bernardino gunman Syed Rizwan Farook without Apple’s help was a significant development.
Protect your business online and offline
It used to be the case that if somebody tried to steal from your business, an alarm would go off and the authorities would act accordingly. In the 21st century however, the landscape is entirely different and changing rapidly.
Fraud protection should be a priority for businesses
Most businesses have to contend with fraud, but trying to establish the scale of the problem is not easy
Courts Service boss fears collapse of IT system
The head of the Courts Service has said the organisation is facing two more years of “scraping around looking for money” to try and prevent their outdated and unsupported IT system from collapsing
Ubiquiti Networks victim of $39 million social engineering attack
Ubiquiti Networks Inc., the San Jose based manufactured of networking high-performance networking technology for service providers and enterprises, announced in its fourth quarter fiscal results that it was the victim of an email business fraud incident resulting in the loss of $39.1 million dollars.
The Box You Absolutely Must Check When You Change Your LinkedIn Password
Attention LinkedIn users: If you change your password on the site, there is an extra box you should check—or else you may still be at risk due to an overlooked flaw in the way LinkedIn handles password changes. When changing passwords, LinkedIn doesn’t log users out of all the places or devices they’re logged in. There’s an option to force all sessions to sign out, but it’s not enabled by default.
Cyber-attack warning after £20m stolen in the UK
The National Crime Agency is warning of a severe cyber-attack after a virus was used to access online banking details and steal millions of pounds from UK bank accounts. An estimated £20m has been pinched in the UK, but the virus, known as Dridex, may be responsible for losses of $100m globally
Ashley Madison: latest in a line of embarrassing breaches
If ever there was a site that needed to be seen to take its security seriously, a website offering dating services for married people was it. So when Ashley Madison confirmed it had been compromised, there may have been more than a few million eyebrows raised at the prospect that the stolen data may be leaked online.
Europol get new powers to target terrorists and cyber-gangs
Europe's police agency, Europol, is getting new powers to combat terrorism, cyber-crime and other cross-border threats, after more than 440 people were killed in terrorist attacks last month, including the Paris attacks.
UK joins US financial institutions for industry resilience tests
The UK teamed up with US authorities to run a banking industry resilience exercise, dubbed Operation Resilient Shield, last week. The paper-based transatlantic exercise focused on improving information sharing and planning in the context of a cyber attack rather than fending off Red Team hackers
Ukrainian Power Grid Hack: 9 Questions
Reports to date about the hack of Ukrainian energy supplier Prykarpattyaoblenergo last month have so far left many crucial questions unanswered. Who was responsible? Did malware directly trigger a three-hour blackout? Are other power suppliers are at risk from similar attacks
EU regulation on data protection may reduce cost of compliance
Companies not aware of legal obligations may end up paying more, experts warn
Ireland's new cyber bodyguards
A fast-growing pack of Irish firms and consultants are making a fortune protecting businesses from online attacks, says Sarah McCabe
Facebook urged to tighten privacy settings after harvest of user data
Tech Firm Ubiquiti Suffers $46M Cyberheist
Hackers target internet address bug to disrupt sites
Espionage and industry in the internet era
Samsung 'Killing Windows Updates To Leave Users Vulnerable'
Cyber crime: the new battleground
ATMs face shutdown as banks scramble to update IT
Sony boss: 'No playbook' for dealing with hack attack
Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg is right - tape over your webcam
Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg is right - tape over your webcam
Hall of Fame Inductee Brian Honan Urges Firms to Start IR Planning Now
EU uncorks €1.8bn in cybersecurity investment. Thirsty, UK?
Show less news

Related Speakers View all


More like Brian