That’s a Wrap! Looking Back on SANS at RSAC 2022

RSA Conference is always an exciting and educational event, but this year was extra special for SANS. We had our annual favorites like the SANS keynote panel on top threats and our free Netwars tournament, but we also had a number of new, exciting, and deeply meaningful things taking place at the event this year.

Here’s a look at our favorite and most notable moments of RSAC 2022.

 

A Tribute to Alan Paller

During the event, RSA Conference presented the Lifetime Achievement Award to Alan Paller, SANS founder and former president of the SANS Technology Institute college (SANS.edu), who passed away in November of 2021.

Linda Gray Martin, Vice President, RSA Conference, presented the award from the keynote stage, and Ed Skoudis, current President of SANS.edu and long-time friend of Alan, accepted the award on behalf of him and his family.

Watch the award presentation, which includes a tribute video, below, and learn more about the beloved Alan Paller in Ed Skoudis’s blog post.

 

Live Streaming from the Show Floor - Cyber Experts Share $.02

A first for SANS, our booth at the 2022 event had a built-in desk for live stream interviews with top cyber security experts and SANS instructors. The design was intentional to allow engagement with people at the event in person as well as those attending virtually.

Some of our favorite interviews from host Stephen A. Hart include Rob T. Lee, who spoke about the SANS mission; Ed Skoudis, who shared personal stories about Alan Paller; and Dr. Johannes Ullrich, who told us about the SANS Internet Storm Center. Check out the below recap video featuring some of the stand-out moments across all four days of live stream programming. Find the complete playlist here and watch all 13 interviews on demand.

 

Netwars Core v8 Makes Debut

As in years past, Netwars was onsite at RSAC 2022 providing free opportunities to practice via cyber range tournaments held across two days. We had over 60 players participate, and five winners were named and presented with coins on each day. The venerable Jeff McJunkin was also available to assist players onsite as they were among the first to try out the all-new Netwars Core v8, which now includes cloud-focused content and can be played in-browser without the need to download VMs.

 

SANS Experts Reveal Top Threats for 2022

Each year at RSA Conference, SANS provides the authoritative briefing on the most dangerous new attack techniques in use today, what's coming next, and what organizations can do to prepare. The goal with this content is to give organizations a chance to prioritize upcoming attack vectors and to get ahead of them.

Alan Paller served as the moderator for this keynote for more than a decade, so things felt a bit different this year. However, what stayed the same is the value of the content delivered by the panel of SANS experts.

If you are a RSAC 2022 pass holder, you can view the SANS keynote on demand here. Otherwise, check back in the coming weeks, as we’ll be sharing the video here when it’s available for viewing on YouTube. 

Head here to learn more about SANS and GIAC, get the full schedule of live streams, and access other free resources we shared with the infosec community at RSAC 2022.