NOTES & NEWS
CPABC Hosts Cybersecurity Reception for 2018
BC Aware Campaign
CPABC was proud to be a community sponsor of the 2018 BC Aware
Campaign, which ran from January 29 to February 9, and a co-host of
the reception that preceded BC Aware Day, a full-day cybersecurity
conference. In support of these activities, several CPABC chapters
held IT sessions this winter to educate members about cybersecurity.
VIP Reception
On January 29, CPABC co-hosted BC Aware Day’s VIP Reception, a
networking event and panel discussion on cybersecurity, along with
ISACA 1 Vancouver and the CIO Association of Canada. More than
70 CPABC members holding executive and senior-level positions in
accounting, finance, internal audit, and information systems were in
attendance, along with 130 chief information officers and technology
professionals.
A panel discussion moderated by Matt Loeb, CEO of ISACA Inter-
national, featured panellists Robert Clyde, vice-chair of the board of
directors of ISACA International; Conn Nicoll, director of security
services at TELUS; Gary Perkins, executive director and chief information
security officer for the Government of BC; Sherry Rumbolt, security
officer for the Department of National Defence; Danny Timmins, nation-
al cyber security lead at MNP LLP; and Dean Turner, product manager
with Cisco Systems. They were joined by feature panellist Kevin Mitnick,
world-famous for his past activities as a hacker.
Now a computer security consultant and author, Mitnick gained in-
ternational notoriety in the 1990s after taking down several corporate
networks. He was a fugitive from the law for two-and-a-half years before
being caught and sentenced to prison, where he served five years. Despite
his controversial past, Mitnick now runs a security firm that helps
companies and government agencies strengthen their IT security.
He and the other panellists shared strategies to address the significant
IT risks faced by organizations and emphasized the need for Canadian
business leaders to be vigilant about protecting the confidentiality,
availability, and integrity of their data. They noted the challenges of
dealing with these risks while also navigating digital transformation
with agility and remaining competitive in the global marketplace.
2018 BC Aware Day
The VIP Reception was followed by the fourth annual BC Aware Day,
ISACA Vancouver’s full-day conference for cybersecurity professionals,
on January 30. Kevin Mitnick returned as the keynote speaker and
performed a live hacking demonstration for the audience. VIP Re-
ception panellists Robert Clyde and Dean Turner were also among
the conference’s 37 speakers, who covered a variety of relevant and
thought-provoking topics. The conference also included a full-day
Canadian Cyber Defence Challenge for high-school students.
If you’d like more information about BC Aware Day and ISACA
Vancouver, visit bccpa.ca and search under Members>Benefits and
Savings>Business Associations.
Cybersecurity PD available through CPABC chapters
In support of the 2018 BC Aware Day campaign, several CPABC
chapters across the province recently held IT sessions. These included
sessions on:
• Cloud accounting (January 25 – Kootenay West Chapter);
• IT security risks (February 24 – Tri-Cities/Ridge Meadows
Chapter); and
• Emerging cybercrime trends and prevention best practices
(March 24 – Richmond/South Delta Chapter).
If you want to learn more about cybersecurity, look for upcoming
PD chapter events at bccpa.ca/members/chapters and be sure to attend
the session “Cybersecurity and Enabling Business” with Mike Vamvakaris,
director and head of cyber security consulting for TELUS, at CPABC’s
2018 Spring Pacific Summit (page 39).
1
ISACA was previously known as the Information Systems Audit and
Control Association and now goes by its acronym only.
Cyber risk = business risk!
Former hacker turned computer security consultant Kevin Mitnick (centre) discusses cybersecurity at the BC
Aware Day VIP Reception, co-hosted by CPABC. Left: Conn Nicoll, director of security services at TELUS. Right:
Dean Turner, product manager with Cisco Systems.
Does your company have a resilient cybersecurity
strategy? See page 31 for practical tips.
CPABC in Focus • March/April 2018 7