University to host cybercrime conference

Concordia Institute for Information Systems Engineering Director Mourad Debbabi was a featured presenter at the second President’s Conference, “Every Breath You Take”, November 4, 2009. He addressed the risks associated with the electronic trail we leave behind during everyday computing. | Photo by Concordia University

According to the U.S. Bureau of Justice, computer virus infections were the most prevalent cybercrime among businesses in 2005, causing a total loss to businesses of $867 million.

“Cybercrime is a real threat that is getting more and more important each day,” says Concordia Institute for Information Systems Engineering (CIISE) Director Mourad Debbabi.

As one of the foremost experts in the field, he knows the opportunity to host a conference to combat cybercrime is equally or, perhaps, more important.

To address the threat, Concordia will be hosting Canada ECrimes Summit 2010, a product of the National Cyber-Forensics and Training Alliance (NCFTA), on November 17 and 18.

Debbabi, who also serves as NCFTA Canada’s Vice-President, will open the conference with a Canadian perspective. “My aim is to show to the audience that when academia and the private and public sectors join their efforts, they can generate a strong synergy that makes an important contribution to the fight against cybercrime.”

He sees the conference as valuable for the national and international recognition of Concordia ’s cybercrime expertise.

“It is a unique opportunity for members of government, leading corporations, and law enforcement from both the U.S. and Canada to learn from each other about new and different perspectives on cybercrime,” he says. “The sharing of information will provide us with relevant insights and possibly lead to future collaborations.”

The NCFTA, launched in 2008 and based at Concordia, is an alliance of representatives from law enforcement, government, industry and academia focusing on the investigation of cybercrimes that affect Canadian citizens, businesses and organizations.

Currently, five professors, 12 graduate students, and 12 private and public sector experts are involved in NCFTA Canada at Concordia.

“For our students and researchers, it means exposure, training, possible funding… it’s very beneficial,” says Dabbabi.

This is the first summit of this magnitude for NCFTA. In May, Concordia and NCFTA hosted a smaller conference. The Information Systems Security Colloquium attracted 90 participants from industry, government and academia.

Related links:
•    Concordia's CIISE
•    NCFTA
•    NOW story on Information Systems Security Colloquium
•    FBI cybercrime