12:30 pm: Lunch: Lunch catered by Mark ‘n Mike’s/One Market Restaurant and sponsored by Monica Levin and Nancy Igdaloff. Members only. Free. Reservations required by Jan. 14, 10 am.

1 pm: Remote presentation by Will Thomas from the Equinix Threat Analysis Center, Zooming in from London, who will provide a guided tour around the dark web and deep web to highlight the types of activities that go on in the cybercrime underground. This presentation will also cover how the dark web works, what technologies are involved and how to stay safe when accessing the underground. Detailed information about dark web drug markets, ransomware leak sites, data extortionists and malware communities will also be provided.

Why it is important to learn about this:

Understanding how the darkweb works in general is a useful exercise to realize how cybercriminals can perform such malicious activities that impact our daily lives. It is important to recognize the challenges that law enforcement and governments face when it comes to organized cybercriminal networks that seek to exploit and monetize the systems we rely on in our societies. By studying the dark web more closely, we can better protect ourselves especially if our privacy is of high importance to us. This talk will explain better when maintain strict personal cybersecurity standards are vitally important and why your data and online account security should not be taken for granted.