Dallas, Texas – Today, the U.S. Secret Service participated in the Texas Cybersecurity Summit. This first of its kind two-day summit included more than 800 senior cybersecurity executives and included a key note address delivered by Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service Dallas Field Office William Smarr.
The summit covered topics from the history of the Secret Service and how the agency became a significant asset in the fight against cybercrime, to the partnerships necessary to accomplish this mission.
The event participants attended discussions on:
• Data privacy breaches and fraud prevention
• Cybersecurity tools specific to small businesses
• Data backup and what to do if a breach occurs
• Cybersecurity starts with the employees
• Protecting data in the age of ransomware
• Stopping impersonation attacks with artificial intelligence
“The key to getting ahead of cybercrime is taking a whole-of-society approach, recognizing it’s going to take readiness at all levels or the bad actors will find a way in,” said Special Agent in Charge William Smarr, Secret Service Dallas Field Office. “If you take anything away from this summit let it be that the first discussion you have with your local Secret Service representative can’t be after an attack, so give them a call today.”
The Secret Service actively uses public awareness and outreach as a primary prevention tool to raise community awareness and provide essential information on what can be done to prevent an attack, as well as what an organization can and should do if an attack occurs.
Technical Staff Assistant Clark Skobe of the Houston Field Office and Senior Special Agent Steven Gemperle of the San Antonio Field Office presented on the current cyber trends of elder fraud, business email compromise and network intrusions.
The Secret Service Dallas Field Office is home to one of the 44 Cyber Fraud Task Forces (CFTFs) established across the country and internationally to combat the growing threat of cybercrime. The Secret Service looks forward to participating in the next summit to be held in October in Dallas, Texas.