PwC Debuts Cyber Security Video Series on Fraud Forum

NEW YORK, Sept. 26, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- PwC's Fraud Forum has launched a Cyber Security Video series featuring overviews and insight on the cybercrime landscape and in-depth discussions of what organizations can do to protect themselves from compromise. The three videos: "Are you prepared for today's cyber threats?," "Cyber attacks: where will they strike next?" and "Cyber crisis management" are the first in the series of video panels of law, cyber forensics and crisis communication professionals providing their perspective on key issues in the cyber security community.

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"Are you prepared for today's cyber threats?" is hosted by PwC's Ed Gibson, director in the Forensic Technology Services Division and features panellists Kim Peretti and Shane Sims, directors in PwC's Forensic Technology Solutions Practice. The discussion focuses on evolving targeted threats, particularly Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs).

"Over the last few years, cyber threat groups are much more advanced and much more targeted in their approach. They are using custom techniques and custom software that avoid detection by traditional signature based security solutions. There needs to be a philosophical shift from prevention-centric to earlier detection," said Mr. Sims. "Organizations should assume they are in a state of compromise all the time, every day—take advantage of every security event to learn from security threat intelligence."

"Companies need to be able to respond to with a broader array of services than just a technical fix for a technical problem," said Ms. Peretti.

The video "Cyber attacks—where will they strike next?" features panelists David Nardoni and Tomas Castrejon, directors at PwC, and looks at evolving methods of cyber attacks and their impact on company infrastructures. Mr. Nardoni identifies three emerging areas of cyber attacks through mobile devices, social networks and through targeted attacks. Mr.  Castrejon adds advice for companies and what they need to do to take proactive measures to ensure that all intellectual property is secured. The trend of spearphishing is also addressed.

"What makes spearphishing so effective even today is that it is so sophisticated that it is very difficult for most people including security practitioners to discern between a forged email versus a legitimate email. That makes it very difficult to detect," said Mr. Castrejon.

Ms. Peretti hosts panelists Jason Maloni, Senior Vice President with Levick Strategic Communications and Jim Harvey, partner at Alston and Bird in the "Cyber crisis management" video. This segment looks at the cyber threat landscape and how companies can best respond in the event of a security crisis.  

"There is a distinction between crisis management and crisis communications—there is a compliance requirement, but companies need to articulate what happened as well as what needs to happen to be sure it doesn't happen again," says Mr. Maloni.

The PwC Fraud Forum is an online resource through which members can share knowledge and participate in research to help prevent, detect and investigate fraud in all its many forms. PwC provides members of the Fraud Forum with technical updates on fraud prevention and detection issues as well as the opportunity to meet periodically with other PwC Fraud Forum members to exchange knowledge, ideas and experiences. The videos are also available by visiting http://www.pwc.com/us/cyber .

About PwC's Forensic Services

PwC global Forensic Services team of experienced professionals is dedicated to meeting the challenges caused by fraud allegations, financial crimes and other irregularities. Our portfolio of specialist services includes: Financial Crime Examinations, Forensic Technology Solutions, Regulatory Compliance Reviews, Fraud Risk Management and Fraud Prevention, Dispute Analysis and Litigation Support. The Forensic Services team also manages the PwC Fraud Forum, an exclusive community where members can gain knowledge, participate in events and share important insights on preventing, detecting and investigating fraud, corruption and economic crime. See www.pwc.com/us/forensics and http://usfraudforum.pwc.com for more information.

About PwC's Advisory Practice

PwC's Advisory professionals help organizations improve business performance, respond quickly and effectively to crisis, and extract value from transactions. We understand our clients' industries and unique business challenges, and look across the entire organization -- focusing on strategy, structure, people, process and technology -- to help clients build their next competitive advantage. See http://www.pwc.com/us/advisory for more information.

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PwC firms provide industry-focused assurance, tax and advisory services to enhance value for their clients. More than 161,000 people in 154 countries in firms across the PwC network share their thinking, experience and solutions to develop fresh perspectives and practical advice. See www.pwc.com for more information.

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SOURCE PwC