September 13th, 2024 meeting

DATE:September 13th, 2024
TIME:2:00pm to 4:00pm (PDT)
VENUE:Zoom Online meeting
TOPIC:De-anonymizing the Blockchain with Cryptocurrency Investigations
PRESENTER: Artem Ponomarov (PhD, CCSS Auditor, Chainalysis Investigation Specialist)
RECORDING: 

ABSTRACT

Cryptocurrencies were once primarily associated with illicit activities due to their decentralized and seemingly anonymous nature. However, most of them operate on a pseudonymous basis, making crypto investigations a crucial aspect of modern cybersecurity. This involves a detailed analysis of blockchain transactions to trace the movement of funds. In this talk, we will explore the latest advances in crypto forensics and how to unveil the real-world entities behind cryptocurrency-related crimes. The goal is to equip the audience with the knowledge and skills needed to navigate the complex landscape of cryptocurrency.

BIOGRAPHY

Artem is a cryptocurrency security expert with over four years of experience in crypto forensics. He has developed and utilized advanced blockchain analytics tools to assist in recovering funds from crypto-related hacks and scams. Artem holds a PhD in Physics and several certifications, including Chainalysis Investigation Specialist Certification (CISC) and Cryptocurrency Security Standard (CCSS) Auditor. Before his current role, he served as CISO at Gftd Japan, where he led teams in crypto AML compliance, smart contract audits, and incident response. He is also an active member of the Cryptocurrency Security Standard (CCSS) group, contributing significantly to the field of blockchain and cybersecurity. Currently, Artem is the Manager of IT Security at the City of North Vancouver.

September 9th, 2022 meeting & AGM

DATE:September 9th, 2022
TIME:2:00pm to 4:00pm (PST)
VENUE:Zoom Online meeting
Meeting ID: 98484395392 Passcode: 09220922
TOPIC:Decentralized Finance: Bitcoins and Blockchains and Digital Cash, Oh My!
PRESENTER: Rob Slade (M. Sc.)
RECORDING: 

ABSTRACT

NFTs and cryptocurrencies have become enormously popular, recently, but are also wildly speculative. Starting with the principles of, and research into, digital cash, we will examine valuation, fungibility, technologies, infrastructures, and the basic principles underlying this field. In addition, we will note the speculative nature of much of this “wealth.” What is a cryptocurrency? What is a currency? Starting with the concepts of value and trust, we look briefly at true digital currencies, and the shortcuts that cryptocurrencies have taken. We build an outline for the requirements for digital cash, why cryptocurrencies have only partly fulfilled those requirements, and why NFTs are even worse. Currently, “investment” in cryptocurrencies is highly speculative, and seems to be roughly equivalent to putting anticipated winnings at a casino into your stock portfolio. And, by the way, BLOCKCHAIN IS NOT THE ANSWER!!!

BIOGRAPHY

Rob Slade is an information security and management consultant from North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Or he may be an AI experiment gone horribly wrong, and hooked up to various email addresses.) He has consulted for Fortune 100 companies, has taught on six continents, gets calls from intellectual property lawyers, is frequently published in the Information Security Management Handbook, and authored “Robert Slade Guide to Computer Viruses,” “Software Forensics,” “Dictionary of Information Security,” “Cybersecurity Lessons from CoVID-19,” and two thirds of “Viruses Revealed.” He got his start in security researching viruses. (But not this type of virus.) More information than anyone would want to know about him is available at


https://twitter.com/rslade
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Slade
http://catless.ncl.ac.uk/Risks/search?query=slade
http://shouldersofinfosec.pbworks.com/w/page/146046189/Rob%20Slade%20%20%28Slade%2C%20Robert%29
https://community.isc2.org/t5/forums/recentpostspage/user-id/1324864413
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUuvftvRsRv4bMs_scU3TyBZzuvW7kpZi
http://fibrecookery.blogspot.com
https://www.amazon.com/Robert-Slade/e/B001H6MUCW