Prior to the pandemic misecCON (the conference formerly known as Converge/BSides Detroit) was the last conference in my schedule for the year. Post pandemic I’m happy to see it back because it’s such a great conference. The conference was moved out of Detroit to Lansing, Michigan. I really like the location. It has that DerbyCon type of feel with the hotel as it’s central location. There’s plenty of food and after conference options for people to explore and experience. This version was only one day so time exploring was limited but what I did get to explore was great.

The conference had over 170 people show up so it wasn’t overwhelming but plenty of good conversations with attendees and great presentations to attend. I also really enjoyed the capture the flag (CTF) and even hopped in with a team for a short period of time. The venue was in the Double Tree Hotel Lansing and I was very pleased with the accommodations and rooms at the hotel. For lunch I went to Weston’s Kewpee Sandwich Shop and had a burger that had been sold for the last 90 years. A burger that’s been sold for 90 years is quite delicious. I like to get away from the conference and have lunch with friends as a break from the conference. For the record, the conference provided lunch also looked delicious. Not all conference provide a solid lunch so that’s a huge plus for this conference.

The after party was also great. It was at a place called the Lansing Shuffle which used to be an old farmers’ market on the river. We had a small section of the vibrant scene which included music and plenty of food options. The food provided was very good and the open bar had lots of options.

The rebirth of the conference is encouraging. The location is fantastic and has opportunity for growth into a bigger space which I think it will. I’ve heard there are bigger plans for next year with additions like workshops and other activities. I can’t wait to come back again in 2024.

This blog post first appear on Exploring Information Security

I’ve gotten my last letter back on a submitted CFP. I will be speaking three more times this year before looking ahead to 2024. Here are the conferences I will be at for the rest of the year. The topic I’ll be speaking on is API security. I’ll put the abstract below.

Infosec Nashville 2023 - September 26-27 - First time for me. I’m excited to go to a local event.

BSides Augusta - October 7 - I’ve been going to this conference since 2014. This is one of my favorite yearly events to attend. Yes, it’s a bit out there but it’s one of the biggest BSides in the world. For those curious Army Cyber Command is located in the area. It’s a very blue team focused conference.

MISECCON - November 17 - MISEC is one of the most talented local user groups in the country. This is a rebirth of Detroit Convergence and BSides conferences post pandemic. This is another one of my favorite conferences.

Title: The Security Hitchhiker's Guide to API Security

Abstract: API security is so hot right now! Organizations don’t fully understand APIs, how to find them, and secure them. This can feel scary. Don’t Panic. Grab your towel and join me on a meme adventure to explore the API galaxy. We’ll cover the history of APIs. Why people now suddenly care about them and why they’re such a hot topic. We’ll go over some ways to identify APIs within an environment. We’ll cover how API security is different and how to start securing them. We’ll review the API security tooling landscape. Finally, we’ll review resources to get your towel wrapped around API security and answer the ultimate API questions.

This blog post first appear on Exploring Information Security