New York, New York, March 28, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Swift Exchange, an innovator in the facilitation of global commerce, today announced the first-ever integrated Cyber Security Forum, to be held on Wednesday, April 11, 2012, in Washington DC, sponsored by Swift Exchange and DLA Piper. The first-of-its-kind forum features an exceptionally inclusive array of speakers and participants and is notable for its ultimate goal of creating unified, pan-constituent standards, practices and rules of engagement, at a level that does not yet exist, for managing the global cyber security threat.
"The issue of cyber security has escalated in a phenomenally short amount of time to an urgency level never reached before," said Swift Exchange CEO and Founder Richard Postrel. "Government agencies, public, private, corporate and consumer entities - every element of society is at risk, raising a plethora of issues and questions that demand effective answers."
Mr. Postrel added, "The cyber security risks we are taking on at Swift Exchange, in the course of building a global digital commerce platform interconnected with major consumer enterprises, are the very same risks threatening sovereign states around the world. This raises questions such as, 'Where do we draw the cyber battle lines between private enterprise, public safety and national security?' 'How is a threat against any one of these not a threat against all?' We are actively engaged in a global cyber war and we must respond intelligently, comprehensively and urgently."
"There are organizations around the world dedicated to addressing the menace of cyber attacks, cyber espionage and related threats," said Don Codling, Chief Information Security Officer at Swift Exchange and former Supervisory Special Agent, Unit Chief and DHS NCSD Liaison for the FBI's Cyber Division in Washington, D.C. "However, a close look at the current state of threat analysis, legal and jurisdictional elements, and response protocols reveals material gaps in the existing network when viewed holistically. This Forum has been designed to go after those gaps and begin closing them - as effectively and rapidly as possible."
Confirmed attendees comprise leading thinkers, executives and authorities from virtually every concerned constituency, including government agencies, major financial institutions and enterprises spanning commerce, technology and law, among other sectors.
Prominent participants in the Forum include senior representatives within the cyber security functions at top-level U.S. government agencies. Additionally, Swift Exchange founder Richard Postrel will present an entirely new approach to cyber security based on his "cyber membrane" construct.
Highlights from the agenda include:
Wide-ranging discussion of the present and future of US global cyber policy
- A panel covering global electronic commerce challenges
- A review of cyber 'National Guard' concepts of public/private partnerships
- Legal assessments of defensive versus offensive moves following a cyber intrusion or attack
- The anticipated impact of DNS-SEC and evolving privacy issues in the digital environment.
Key executives from organizations such as Bank of America, Citi, Duff Phelps, Master Card, BAE Systems and IBM, among others, will examine how US businesses can best prepare for cyber attacks, including best practices for coordinating defense systems and responses within the business community. Members of the international law enforcement community and the legal profession will review the best means for predicting and mitigating cyber attacks, including the implications for existing statutes covering privacy, precedents and constitutional law.
"Nothing less than the long-term welfare of democracies and secure global commerce in a digital world are at stake," said Mr. Postrel. "It is imperative for the sake of present and future generations that we determine how to achieve a dynamic balance between private enterprise, public safety, national security and foreign jurisdictions in meeting cyber threats head on. The Cyber Security Forum will be a shot across the bow of the cyber crime and cyber warfare communities."
About Swift Exchange
As a pioneer in global commerce, SWIFT EXCHANGE has developed a first-of-its kind electronic commerce ecosystem utilizing its patent-protected technology that blends points and miles from different reward programs to make them as easy to spend as cash. SWIFT EXCHANGE'S first deployment includes a multi-tender payment mechanism that easily embeds into e-commerce sites and at point-of-sale. Reward program issuers have a way to expand the utility of their reward currency for customers and merchants have a way to accept reward currencies for payment. Founded by CEO Richard Postrel, SWIFT EXCHANGE is owned and operated by Signature Systems LLC, a developer of advanced technologies driven by a growing portfolio of breakthrough, patent-protected intellectual capital. For more information, visit www.swiftexchange.com or call (305) 865-7000.
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