BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA, 18 MARCH 2025: AUSCERT, Australia’s first computer emergency response team (CERT), and one of the oldest CERTs in the world, announces Lieutenant General Michelle McGuinness, Australia’s National Cyber Security Coordinator, will be a keynote speaker at the AUSCERT Cyber Security Conference taking place at The Star on the Gold Coast on 20-23 May 2025.
The AUSCERT Cyber Security Conference will take place for the 24th year in 2025 and will again feature MC Adam Spencer, former breakfast radio host on ABC Sydney and Triple J and well-known TV personality from comedies including Good News Week and The Glasshouse.
This year’s Conference theme of ‘Evolve and Thrive’ will see more than 900 delegates in attendance and feature a dynamic exhibitor hall, puppy cuddle activities, fun interactive LEGO and lock picking activities, arcade games, The Gala Dinner in The Star Ballroom and much more. Lieutenant General Michelle McGuinness, Australia’s National Cyber Security Coordinator, will officially open the Conference and present the keynote on Friday, 23 May at 9:00am.
AUSCERT Business Manager, Bek Cheb, says “In a world where ancient dinosaurs once ruled supreme, the theme of ‘Evolve and Thrive’ draws a striking parallel to our digital era. Their majestic reign and eventual downfall serve as a timeless reminder: adapt or face extinction. This narrative underscores a crucial lesson for businesses: to thrive in an ever-changing digital landscape, innovation and resilience are essential
“Evolve and Thrive is more than just a conference theme; it’s a call to action. We’re imagining a future where businesses don’t just survive but truly thrive by embracing the latest security tech, keeping up with continuous learning, and staying one step ahead of cyber threats. With engaging content, this concept brings the idea of resilience to life, showing how to face digital dangers with confidence and innovation,” she says.
An impressive line-up of over 50 speakers, will present and run workshops, including:
- Matthew Gurr, Region Lead and Senior Security Engineer at Amazon Web Services
- Melina Ryan, Cloud Solution Architect at Microsoft
- Chathura Abeydeera, Director of Consulting and Offensive Cybersecurity Services at KPMG Australia
- Kelsy Luengen, Security Influencer at SEEK
- James Young, Principal Security Strategist, Splunk CISCO
- Kyle Jackson, Cyber Security Strategy and Architecture Consultant at Sekuro
- Kylie Watson, Head of Security – CISO for the APJ MEA Region at DXC Technology
- Alex Tilley, Global Threat Research Coordinator, Okta and highly awarded cybercrime researcher
- Louise Hanna, General Manager, Excite Cyber
The comprehensive program boasts a morning plenary with Palo Alto, presentations on the themes of the Essential 8 and beyond, the psychological toll of being scammed, financially qualifying cyber risk, unmasking our anxiety around facial recognition, how patching is just the tip of the iceberg, defending against digital disguise, why disinformation is a cyber threat, spying cars, hacking smart homes, digital estate planning and how perpetrators of domestic violence use technology to abuse, monitor and control and diversifying the cyber workforce.
Tutorial themes include enhancing security, social engineering, generative AI security, using Kubernetes to evolve infrastructure and deprive attackers, ISO27001 and ISO42001 implementation for both small and large organisations, red teaming the software supply chain, threat detection and incident response in the cloud, managing supplier and subcontractor risks and protecting web apps and API, and Capture the Flag challenges.
A large range of industries and verticals will be covered at the Conference including government, law, manufacturing, retail, eSports and critical infrastructure.
To view the full conference program and find out more, please visit: https://conference.auscert.org.au/
For delegates interested in attending the conference, please register your participation via: https://conference.auscert.org.au/registration-info/
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About AUSCERT
AUSCERT was founded in 1993 in response to an Australian university student hacking a computer system at NASA. This breach triggered a chain reaction to improve information security. In the early 1990’s three Australian Universities came together and formed AUSCERT – the central source for information security and protection. Today, The University of Queensland has embraced AUSCERT as part of their organisation.
AUSCERT is a not-for-profit, member funded organisation based at The University of Queensland. It provides support to businesses during cyber security incidents, threat intelligence services and ongoing education and development programs.
AUSCERT’s passionate team of leading cyber security experts deliver 24/7 service to more than 500 member organisations spanning education and training, financial and insurance services, information, media and telecommunications and other key sectors alongside a range of comprehensive tools to strengthen cyber security strategic defences.
