Category Archives: Top Secret Colonials

The Washington Center National Security Seminar 2016

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Welcome back RMU students!

This past May, the Top Secret Colonials attended a two-week seminar at the Washington Center in Washington, DC. Students analyzed and researched various topics pertaining to cybersecurity. The seminar also included discussions with members of the CIA, DHS, FBI, and NSA.

Take a sneak peek at the Washington Center National Security Seminar from the eyes of those who have attended with this video: TWC National Seminar

There will also be a presentation on Tuesday, September 13th at 3pm in the Wheatley Atrium providing a more in-depth look at the seminar. We look forward to seeing you there!

Security Presentation by Christopher Mellen, PNC – Tuesday, April 5th

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Christopher Mellen, CIO with PNC Financial Services and former Director of Information Management within the Office of the Chief Information Officer for the Executive Office of the President of the United States (Whitehouse), will present in the Wheatley Atrium on Tuesday, April 5th from 3:00 – 4:30pm. The Top Secret Colonials are sponsoring the event and there will be pizza provided. PNC recruiters for interns and full-time positions will also be attending. Students attending will obtain SET credit for their participation.

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Christopher Mellen Bio:
Chris currently leads the Strategic Security Initiatives group within the office of the Chief Information Security Officer with PNC Financial Services.  Chris manages the overall strategic direction of the organization as well as operational management responsibility for Identity Access Management, Mainframe security, Attack Surface Management, and Applied Cryptography.

Prior to joining PNC, Chris was the Director of Information Risk Management within the Office of the Chief Information Officer for the Executive Office of the President of the United States.  His directorate consisted of the Records Management Branch, Cyber Integrity (eDiscovery and investigations), Information Assurance and Security Operations.

Chris has worked as the Director of Professional Services with SAIC’s Incident Response, Computer Forensics and eDiscovery Service groups. He also created and managed the Professional Services Division for AccessData providing incident response, digital investigations and litigation support services. Additionally, Chris has served as a Manager with Guidance Software Professional Services, a Special Agent with the Department of Defense, Cyber Counterintelligence Activity, and a Computer Crime Specialist at the National White Collar Crime Center in Fairmont, WV.

Chris also spent 11 years on active duty in the United States Marine Corps. While in the Marines, Chris served with the Military Police, Customs, the Criminal Investigation Division and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (Cyber Investigations and Operations).

Chris holds a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Colorado Technical University and Master’s degree in Computer Information Systems from Boston University.

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP Internships

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Orrick’s Global Operation Center in Wheeling, WV has excellent opportunities for Technology Internships for students working towards their Associates or Bachelor’s degrees.  The pay is $10.00/hour and 20-25 hours per week.  The positions are located in Wheeling, West Virginia.  The ColonialTrak page will expire 4/29/2016.

Applications Intern: Provide assistance with the technical support of firm-wide software applications including testing, documenting and trouble-shooting applications, communicating with internal customers and imaging desktops.

 Applications Database Intern: Provide assistance with the technical support of firm-wide software applications including testing, documenting and trouble-shooting applications, communicating with internal customers, imaging desktops and infrastructure support including servers and database systems.
Qualifications:
• Excellent analytical skills.
• Proficiency with desktop operating systems and Microsoft Office.
• Understanding of networking concepts, database concepts and basic scripting and/or programming.
• Ability to adapt to a changing environment and multitask assignments, and to approach problems with a sense of ownership, enthusiasm and innovation.
• Willingness to learn and grow in a professional environment.
• GPA of 3.2 or above.
Application Instructions:
To submit your resume and cover letter for this position, please visit our Paralegal and Professional Staff listing at http://www.orrick.com/careers/.

TSC 12-Hour Gaming Charity Marathon – Saturday, March 19th

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The Top Secret Colonials will be having a 12-Hour Gaming Charity Marathon on Saturday, March 19th from 11am-11pm at Yorktown’s Ferris Ballroom. It costs a $5 donation to attend. You can RSVP or send questions to jtwst256@mail.rmu.edu.

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TSC Buffalo Wild Wings – Tuesday, March 22nd

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The Top Secret Colonials are sponsoring a Buffalo Wild Wings Day/Night at the BWW in Robinson on Tuesday, March 22nd from 11am – close. BWW will give TSC 10% of the proceeds in sales. In addition to the proceeds, there will be a raffle, including:

$50.00 – Southwest Gift Card
$50.00 – Eat’n Park Gift Card
$25.00 – Buffalo Wild Wings Card
$25.00 – Game Stop Gift Card
$25.00 – Best Buy Gift Card

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Wombat Security – Wednesday, February 24th

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The Top Secret Colonials are sponsoring a presentation by Wombat Security on Wednesday, February 24th from 4:30 – 5:30 pm.

Wombat Security is a cyber security company whose goal is to deliver software-based cyber awareness and training to help employees understand the risks associated with improper cyber practices and subsequently correct their behavior to strength an organization’s overall security environment. Wombat utilizes a Continuous Training Methodology to serve its customers, assessing the vulnerability of employees through a variety of custom knowledge assessments before seeking to educate on those flaws to maximize learning through a broad set of interactive training modules. Those customers who have implemented this approach have experienced up to a 90% reduction in successful phishing attacks and malware infections on their company.

This presentation will focus on the products Wombat delivers to its customers. During the presentation, Sean Ehrman and Jake Pancari will simulate a mock-phishing attack and demonstrate the training modules customers would go through should they fall for said-attack. They will also discuss the dangers of social engineering while reviewing a real case study before ending in a Q&A segment.

Students will earn 1 SET credit for attending.

Here is their website: https://www.wombatsecurity.com/

Pittsburgh Technology Council – Wednesday, February 17th

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The Top Secret Colonials will be sponsoring a presentation by the Pittsburgh Technology Council on Wednesday, February 17, 2016 from 4:00 – 5:45pm.

Here is the schedule of events:

4:00 – 4:15 PM –  SET Registration and free pizza

4:20 – 5:00 PM –  PTC Presentation

5:00 – 5:30 PM –  Q & A session

Top Secret Colonials Participate in CMU Data Privacy Day

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Snapchat-2544628316288256971A group of Cyber Forensics and Information Security students, including members of the Top Secret Colonials group, along with Dr. Karen Paullet, attended Data Privacy Day at CMU on Thursday, January 28, 2016.

The students attended a Privacy Clinic called “Learn how to Protect your Privacy” and listened to the keynote speaker, Ed Felten, Deputy U.S. Chief Technology Officer.  His talk was entitled “Making Privacy Work for Everyone.”

CMU states that “Data Privacy Day is an international effort to empower and educate people to protect their privacy and control their digital footprint. For more information, please visit StaySafeOnline.org.”0128161426_HDR

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Data Privacy Day – January 28th

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The Top Secret Colonials are promoting a data privacy awareness day on January 28th. Data Privacy Day is meant to help raise the public’s awareness around data security and educate all internet users to be safer online. This day also aims to encourage greater accountability among consumers to better perceive how their information is being shared.

On January 28, the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) will host events in Washington, DC and Los Angeles where privacy professionals will explain solutions to current challenges as well as best practices, such as how to recognize cyber intrusions and establishing an incident response plan. NCSA will also hold Twitter chats centered around data privacy in the days leading up to Data Privacy Day.

Data Privacy Tips (from StaySafeOnline.org):

  • Share with Care
    • What you post can last a lifetime: Before posting online think about how it might be perceived now and in the future and who might see it.
    • Own your online presence: Set the privacy and security settings on web services and devices to your comfort level for information sharing. It’s ok to limit how and with whom you share information.
    • Be aware of what’s being shared: Be aware that when you share a post, picture or video online, you may also be revealing information about others. Be thoughtful when and how you share information about others.
    • Post only about others as you have them post about you: The golden rule applies online as well.
    • Own your online presence: It’s OK to limit who can see your information and what you share. Learn about and use privacy and security settings on your favorite online games, apps and platforms.
  • Personal Information Is Like Money: Value It. Protect It.
    • Think before you act: Be wary of communications that implore you to act immediately, offer something that sounds too good to be true or ask for personal information.
    • Get two steps ahead: Switch on two-step verification or multi-factor authentication wherever offered to prevent unauthorized access.
    • Know what’s being collected, who is collecting it and how it will be used: Information about you, such as the games you like to play, what you search for online and where you shop and live, has value ‒ just like money. Be thoughtful about who gets that information and how it’s collected through apps and websites. Only use a product or service if the company is open and clearly states how it will use your personal information. If you’re not sure what a business will do with your information, ask your parents. Think twice if an app wants permission to use personal information (like your location) it doesn’t need before you say “OK.”
    • Secure your devices: Use strong passwords or passcodes or touch ID features to lock your devices. Securing your device can help protect your information if your device is lost or stolen and keep prying eyes out.
    • Get savvy about WiFi hotspots: Public wireless networks and hotspots are not secure – this means the possibility exists that anyone can see what you are doing on your laptop or smartphone while you are connected to it. Think about what you are doing and if you would want another person to see it. If you use public WiFi a lot, think about using a virtual private network (VPN) that provides a more secure WiFi connection.
    • Now you see me, now you don’t: Some stores and other locations look for devices with WiFi or Bluetooth turned on to track your movements while you are within range. Turn off WiFi and Bluetooth when not in use, and limit your use of free public wireless networks, which stores and locations can use to track what you do online.
    • When in doubt, throw it out: Links in email, tweets, posts, and online advertising are often the way bad guys get access to your personal information. If it looks weird, even if you know the source, it’s best to delete.

Sources:

-http://associationsnow.com/2016/01/data-privacy-day-to-raise-publics-awareness-of-its-role-in-data-security/

-https://www.staysafeonline.org/data-privacy-day/privacy-tips/