Are you getting ready for the upcoming Black Hat USA 2023 event, an internationally recognized cybersecurity event providing the most technical and relevant information security research, now in its 26th year.  The event is quickly approaching, taking place August 5-10, 2023, returning to the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, NV with a 6-day program. 

Ahead of the show, VMblog received an exclusive interview with Todd Moore, VP Encryption Products at Thales CPL, a leading global technology and security provider.  Make sure to add them to your MUST SEE list.

VMblog: Before we get into it, can you give us a quick overview of the company?  What should folks know?

Todd Moore:  As the global leader in data security, Thales helps the most trusted brands and organizations around the world protect their most sensitive data no matter where it exists and, in all states - at rest, in motion and in use. Our solutions secure data in public cloud, provide seamless digital experiences, and achieve compliance through our industry-leading data encryption, identity and access management, and software licensing solutions.

VMblog: You are sponsoring the upcoming Black Hat USA event.  How can attendees find you at the show?  Does your booth have a theme?  How many folks are you sending? 

Moore:  Attendees can find us at booth #1368 in the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. This year, Thales is focusing our Black Hat booth on the theme of security for a world powered by the Cloud, Data, and Identities. Visitors can also come to the booth for a book signing of ‘How I Rob Banks' by Freaky Clown, co-founder of Cygenta, ethical hacker, and social engineer. The book signing will take place on August 9 from 3 - 4.30 pm. 

VMblog: The show is focused on cybersecurity.  What specific problems is your company and technology addressing?

Moore:  At Black Hat 2023, Thales will take a deep dive into data security (DS) and identity access management (IAM). Our company and technologies address a wide range of cybersecurity problems, including but not limited to data security, key management, access management, user sovereignty over encryption keys, as well as identity security and sovereignty. At the show we will showcase an array of Thales' cybersecurity solutions, like our CipherTrust Ransomware Protection, CipherTrust Secrets Manager, high-speed encryption, payShield / Luna CloudHSM, and more. From the IAM side, we will be showcasing our solutions such as our OneWelcome Identity platform, FIDO, SafeNet MobilePass+ on demand enrollment, and even a SafeNet Trust Access demo. For more information visit https://cpl.thalesgroup.com/.

VMblog: The market is a crowded space.  What is it about your company and technology that sets you apart from the competition?  What are your differentiators?

Moore:  Today's businesses and governments depend on the cloud, data, and software to deliver trusted digital services. That is why the most recognized brands and organizations around the world rely on Thales to help them protect sensitive information and software wherever it is created, stored, or accessed - from the cloud and data centers to devices and across network. Thales provides services in the areas of cloud and data security, and we have over 40 years of experience delivering encryption and key management solutions to thousands of customers.

As the global leader in data security, our solutions enable organizations to move to the cloud securely, achieve compliance with confidence, create more value from their software and deliver seamless digital experiences for millions of consumers every day.
 
With our products, we can simplify the deployment of encryption and key management by lowering the cost of ownership, reducing deployment time, and helping constrained enterprises address the mounting shortage of skilled security personnel. Thales' CipherTrust Cloud Key Management is the first available service, enabling customers to centrally maintain and control their encryption keys securely across multiple public clouds and SaaS environments.

VMblog: What are some of the security best practices you would deem critical?

Moore:  To operate securely in today's mobile and cloud-first world, organizations must protect their data and control who has access to it. There are three key pillars for a truly holistic and straightforward strategy to data security to be implemented across an entire organization:

• Discoverwhere the data resides (on-premises or in the cloud) and where it is moving (data flows and visibility). Organizations must also classify its sensitivity and importance based on internal policies and external regulations.
• Protectstructured and unstructured sensitive data with advanced encryption, access controls, and tokenization. Unauthorized users are unable to access data, and even if it is stolen or leaked, it is rendered useless.
• Controlsensitive data with consistent security policies and centralized key management across on-premises and hybrid cloud environments. This simplifies data-centric security, ensures regulatory compliance, and reduces risk across an organization.

While we can't know what the future holds in the current environment, we do know that employees need to be able to work from anywhere, and digital transformation strategies must continue if businesses are to innovate and deliver new services. At the end of the day, IT teams need a data security solution that can be deployed across all their platforms and software, without the complexity that creates vulnerability. The evolving business landscape calls for simplified data security, especially as new challenges emerge.

VMblog: Does your company have any speaking slots at Black Hat?  If so, can you tell us more about those sessions so people can get them on their schedules?

Moore:  Thales will be holding a speaking session on ‘Practical guidance on meeting data privacy regulations in the US and globally,' led by Todd Moore, VP of Encryption Products at Thales, David Tyburski, VP of Information Security and CISO at Wynn Resorts and Nelly Porter, Head of Product, GCP Confidential Computing and Encryption, Google Cloud.

This session will explore the ways that Wynn Resorts, Google Cloud, and Thales have addressed digital sovereignty requirements in various industries throughout the world, including hospitality, entertainment, and technology. Todd, Nelly, and David will lead an open discussion, including real-life case studies and examples that can be replicated in many different use cases and organizations.

Interested parties can attend the session at the Business Hall of Mandalay Bay on Thursday, August 10 at 12:40 pm.

VMblog: Is your company involved in any parties during the event?

Moore:  Thales is excited to sponsor the Optiv Black Hat Afterparty 2023, taking place at the DAYLIGHT Beach Club at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas on Wednesday, August 9 from 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM.

Interested parties need to register for General Admission (GA) to attend. Everyone with a GA ticket is invited to come and enjoy music, beverages, and dedicated time with the Optiv and client community. We will also have a limited number of VIP wristbands for any team or clients that wish to access the VIP area and enjoy a private cabana. These can be picked up at Optiv booth #2450 on August 8^th or 9^th. As there are only 10 total VIP wristbands, interested parties should come and claim them as soon as possible!

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