Infosec Island contributor Scot Terban was been selected to replace former HBGary Federal CEO Aaron Barr on a panel at this years DEFCON conference in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The DEFCON session, titled “‘Whoever Fights Monsters...' Aaron Barr, Anonymous, and Ourselves," examined the impact hacktivism is having on the security industry.
Terban at first showed up to the panel in a middle-eastern styled disguise to underscore the fact that many in the security field are not inclined to reveal their identities when discussing controversial subjects like the hacktivist movement for fear of reprisals like that which HBGary's former CEO Aaron Barr elicited.
Barr had resigned from HBGary Federal in the wake of a devastating breach and subsequent criticism regarding some of the company's business practices after revealing he was investigating the identities of Anonymous participants.
“If you’re going to do this, then find the real dirt,” said Terban.
“We have an opportunity to not just cause chaos, but to cause organized chaos,” said fellow panelist Josh Corman, research director at the analyst firm 451 Group.
“I’m suggesting the actions in pursuit of their own goal compromise their goal. There’s a way to render more specific what they want to accomplish.”
Corman indicated he thought the hacktivists should focus their efforts on more important issues child-exploitation sites. “That’s something we can all get behind,” Corman said.
Another panelist, Attrition.org's Jericho, had expressed disappointment that Barr had withdrawn from the panel.
"Barr withdrawing from the panel is an obvious disappointment to the other panelists. It is especially unfortunate, as he had worked out issues with speaking on the topics with his new employer, only to get hit with an injunction from his former employer, HBGary," 'Jericho' told Infosec Island last week.
Source: ThreatLevel