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“The Conficker worm is just an over-hyped problem that distracts from the real problem of malicious programs and attacks, and is a way for software companies to make more money.” – Synopsis of what many have said post-mortem on Conficker.

The most valuable asset to any organization is its “information.”  Quality Assurance professionals, with an emphasis in software development, must critically examine a software program for functionality, compatibility, ease of use, stability, and integrity.  This allows the QA professional to garner an extremely intimate understanding of a client’s, or employers, software strengths and weaknesses.  The client company is placing an inordinate amount of trust in the software tester to hold those strengths and weaknesses in the highest of confidence.

Once that information is shared with a third-party, what controls or mechanisms are in place to ensure that there is not a leakage of proprietary information?  Are contractual provisions enough?  How is the integrity of the QA industry affected by a data leak?  How can the testing industry align its goals with the goals of its client(s)?

According to two of the largest security software firms, cyber-related crimes are now more lucrative than the international drug trade.  While a virtual cyber-attack of a 9/11-style magnitude has not yet occurred, the need to adequately safeguard mission-critical data places network infrastructures on the frontlines.  A corporate data governance program is high on the agenda of executive management, and if properly implemented, it will raise the level of trust between the client and the vendor. 

Attendees should expect to gain an understanding of what law enforcement is doing to protect businesses from cyber-extortion, theft of proprietary information, etc., and how they can cooperate with law enforcement officials in the investigation phase of cyber-related crimes.  Also, attendees will be able to gain an understanding of what mechanisms should be in place to mitigate the chance of an unauthorized release, or disclosure, of proprietary information.