FYRM Associates, Inc.

Securing the Smart Grid

Tampa, FL: October 7, 2010 - FYRM Associates, an information security professional services organization, today announced that Securing the Smart Grid, co-authored by Tony Flick, Principal, has officially been released by publisher Syngress.

Smart Grids are the future of energy. By creating networks from power plant to home, utility companies will be able to regulate power consumption making sure that consumers are receiving the amount that is needed, no more or less. While this new use of networking technology and unique applications such as smart meters will help to conserve energy it also opens up a pipeline, that was regulated manually, into the computer world of interconnected networks. The infrastructure that is being built will need to have robust security as an attack on this network could create chaos to tens of thousands of power consumers, stop a utility company in its tracks, or be used in a cyberwar.

Securing the Smart Grid takes a look at grid security today, how it is developing and being deployed into now over 10 million households in the US alone. Direct attacks to smart meters as well as attacks via the networks will be detailed along with suggestions for defense against them. A framework for how security should be implemented throughout this growing system will be included directing security consultants, and system and network architects on how to keep the grid strong against attackers big and small.

Details how old and new hacking techniques can be used against the grid and how to defend against them
Discusses current security initiatives and how they fall short of what is needed
Find out how hackers can use the new infrastructure against itself

FYRM Associates, an information security professional services organization, offers custom consulting services to help organizations achieve their information security goals. FYRM specializes in application security analysis, testing, and training using proven methodologies and processes. Contact FYRM Associates at 877.752.7170 for more information or visit www.fyrmassociates.com.

Tony Flick Returns as Presenter at DEF CON 18

Tampa, FL: July 6, 2010 - FYRM Associates, an information security professional services organization, today announced that Tony Flick, Principal, will be presenting at the DEF CON 18 security conference in Las Vegas. This will be Mr. Flick's second time presenting at the DEFCON conference. This year's presentation "Getting Social with the Smart Grid" will build off his previous presentations on the Smart Grid and will feature the release of a new security model.

Littered with endless threats and vulnerabilities surrounding both social networking and the Smart Grid, the marriage of these two technologies is official, despite protests by the security community. Consumers love it because they can brag to their friends about how green they are. Businesses love it more because it provides fresh material for their marketing departments. Hackers love it the most because it opens up attack vectors, both new and old.

During this presentation we dissect readily available social Smart Devices, examining where they get things right, and where they fail. We expand on the failures, discussing and demonstrating attacks against consumers (think PleaseRobMe.com), the Smart Devices themselves, and the social networking sites they communicate with. We want consumers, device manufactures, and social networking sites to understand how to get social with the Smart Grid securely, and prevent social networking privacy from becoming even more complex. The tools we release during this presentation will allow consumers to review their Smart Devices’ social footprint, and provide device manufacturers with recommendations that can be implemented immediately. Attendees will leave our presentation armed with a deep understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of social Smart Devices, how to attack their current weaknesses and leverage their current strengths, and utilize our tools to further research how we all can better secure the social side of the Smart Grid.

The 2010 conference will be held July 30 – August 1, 2010 at the Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas, NV. Additional details about the conference are available at www.defcon.org. Mr. Flick's presentation slides and the featured security model will be available after the conference at www.fyrmassociates.com.

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AppTrust Developer Training Course Available at Reduced Cost to Virginia Tech Students

Tampa, FL: April 21, 2010 - FYRM Associates, an information security professional services organization, today announced it will offer its AppTrust Developer Training Course to students and faculty at Virginia Tech and surrounding universities this summer.

In continuing support of the next generation of computer security professionals and application developers, FYRM will offer this three-day training, July 6 – 8, 2010, at a significantly reduced cost. This course provides students with the knowledge to develop secure applications and create constructive environments that encourage secure application development.

“We are excited to partner with Virginia Tech University and offer the AppTrust Developer Training Course to up-and-coming security professionals, educators, and application developers,” said Matt Flick, Principal at FYRM Associates.

At the end of the course, students will be encouraged to take the AppTrust Certification Exam. Upon passing the exam, students can include the certification as part of their credentials, making them more attractive to potential employers. This will demonstrate their commitment to utilizing established processes and reliable technology in order to implement secure applications, which is highly desired by employers.

For more information on the AppTrust Developer Training Course, visit www.fyrmassociates.com/apptrust. To register for the course at Virginia Tech University visit http://guest.cvent.com/EVENTS/Info/Invitation.aspx?e=e4d6f3d8-54de-4420-8718-2c0436b7bbdb.

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FYRM Sponsors ShmooCon 2010 Security Conference

Tampa, FL: December 30, 2009 - FYRM Associates, an information security professional services organization, today announced its sponsorship of ShmooCon's 2010 security conference. ShmooCon is an annual east coast security conference that offers three days of technology exploitation demonstrations, inventive software and hardware solutions, and open discussions of critical infosec issues.

"We're excited to sponsor the ShmooCon security conference in February. ShmooCon consistently delivers high quality talks and is one of the most entertaining conferences each year," said Tony Flick, Principal at FYRM Associates. "I'm excited for the opportunity presented to us by this sponsorship as well as the surprises FYRM has in-store for the attendees.”

More information on the conference is available at the ShmooCon 2010 site:

http://www.shmoocon.org

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Tony Flick to Present at ShmooCon 2010

Tampa, FL: December 30, 2009 - FYRM Associates, an information security professional services organization, today announced that Tony Flick, Principal, will be presenting at the ShmooCon 2010 security conference. Mr. Flick will be presenting "Stealing Guests... The VMware Way."

During this talk, we'll reveal how to steal VMware guests from within other guests using the vulnerability we identified in CVE-2009-3733. Quick and dirty... we'll discuss how we stumbled upon the vulnerability, determined its capabilities, and its potential implications to virtualization...complete with a live demonstration. Bring your own notebook for hands-on goodness.

More information on Mr. Flick's presentation is available on the ShmooCon 2010 Presentations page:

http://www.shmoocon.org/presentations-all.html#stealingguests

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