Rik Ferguson

Researcher, writer, filmmaker and presenter Rik Ferguson is the Vice President of Security Research at Trend Micro. Rik’s research into the murky world of cybercrime and the cloudy future of technology sees him advise law enforcement, governments and large enterprises alike. He is also a Special Advisor to Europol’s European Cyber Crime Centre (EC3), a multi-award-winning producer and writer, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. In April 2011 Rik was inducted into the Infosecurity Hall of Fame.

A recognised futurist, Rik is actively engaged in research into online threats and the cybercriminal underground. He also investigates the wider implications of new developments in Information Technology, their impact on security, both for the enterprise and for society as a whole, publishing papers, articles, videos and participating in thought-leadership initiatives. Rik has presented his findings at many global events such as RSA, Mobile World Congress, Milken Institute, Virus Bulletin, RUSI and the e-Crime Congress, and is often quoted by media around the world.

With over twenty-five years’ experience in information security, Rik has been with Trend Micro since 2007. Prior to assuming his current role, he served as Security & Privacy Infrastructure Specialist at EDS where he led the security design work for government projects related to justice and law enforcement and as Senior Product Engineer at McAfee focused on network security, intrusion prevention, encryption and content filtering Rik Ferguson holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Wales and has qualified as a Certified Ethical Hacker (C|EH), Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) and an Information Systems Security Architecture Professional (ISSAP).

“Project 2030 – Scenarios for the Future of Cybercrime

The COVID-19 pandemic inevitably looms large in cyber threat reporting for 2020. Exploitation of the pandemic, manifest in themed phishing, and cyber-enabled frauds, but also in the nation state arena with reported attempts to compromise the healthcare industry. Rapid virtualisation of businesses and education was likewise a key situational vulnerability and attack vector.

Technological developments created both new possibilities and new threats. As we enter the 2020s, how can we look ahead and anticipate the future of cybercrime to enable governments, businesses and citizens to prepare themselves for the challenges and opportunities of the coming decade? During his presentation, Rik Ferguson will explore the following questions and more: 

• Cyber Threats - the enablers, the targets, and the potential impact of attacks 
• How can we anticipate changes that could impact an organisation’s operations, efficiency, and profit? 
• Changes to the business of Cybersecurity - the role of humans, their behaviours and the greater focus on Identity and Access Management (IAM) 
• Digital sovereignty - the convergence between cybersecurity and national security”