In March 2023, Zagreb will be added to the (already long) list of cities where information security professionals and enthusiasts can share their knowledge with peers at a Security BSides conference. We’ve talked with BSidesZG organizer Ante Jurjevic to find out what’s in store for those who attend.
Why did you start BSidesZG? What is your vision for the first edition of this community event?
Personally, I have a strong urge to share knowledge and provide a platform for others to share my enthusiasm for cybersecurity.
For those unfamiliar with BSides, it is a community-driven framework for building events for and by information security community members. It creates opportunities for individuals to present and participate in an intimate atmosphere that encourages collaboration. On top of that, BSidesZagreb is nonprofit and free to attend.
The primary goal of the event is to present high-quality content. Even now, close to the CFP deadline, we already have excellent submissions with high prospects. We hope to get to know the community and see what they would like to hear and experience at such events so that this could be the first of many BSides in Zagreb.
Tell us more about this first edition – where is it taking place? What can attendees expect? How can they get tickets?
SRCE has been a historical place for IT in Croatia for over half a century. We had our first programming courses in 1972 for FORTRAN, COBOL, BASIC and Pascal, the first IT conference about UNIVAC 1110 and we established a lot of new technologies like the first Internet connection in Croatia in 1992. It was a logical choice to organize the first Zagreb BSides at a venue with such rich history.
Attendees can expect a cozy and relaxed atmosphere with lots talks and opportunities to engage in conversation with lecturers and other attendees.
Submissions for attendees are open. Attendees will be randomly picked from the pool of applicants and a confirmation e-mail will follow. Good luck!
Your call for papers is ending soon. What type of content has been submitted? What are you still hoping to get?
The call for papers ends on the 3rd of February and we already have a lot of exciting topics. A new hot topic is attack vectors and common techniques attackers use to exploit serverless environments. Another speaker focuses on how to utilize BurpSuite and ZAProxy for attacks on REST APIs and whether is it possible to do so without custom plugins or third-party scripts. The third one explains how to protect SaaS-based businesses from financial attacks via payment gateways and configurations.
But we wouldn’t like to discourage more experts from presenting their work. It would be nice to see examples of custom built tools, or some state-of-the-art-cutting-edge-zero-day elaborate attack on important infrastructure, and maybe super-secret forensic investigation that ends with putting bad guys behind the bars. No pressure, though!
BSides gives security experts and industry professionals the opportunity and space to share ideas, and insights and build long-standing relationships with others in the community. It is a rare opportunity to directly connect and create trusted relationships with the key members of the community. So, don’t miss your opportunity and submit your paper.