UK_CYBERCON brings together campus community, experts from across the U.S. to discuss cybersecurity

Cybersecurity is one of the fastest-growing fields in information technology. It also matters to anyone who shops, banks, studies or works online.

That’s why University of Kentucky Information Technology Services (UK ITS) hosts UK_CYBERCON, a free annual conference that brings together experts, students and researchers to help the campus community and the public learn about career opportunities, participate in cybersecurity discussions and learn about safety and security online.

On Oct. 14, students, faculty, staff and community members gathered at the Singletary Center for the Arts for the fifth annual UK_CYBERCON. Cybersecurity experts from across the country shared the latest trends and threats and offered advice on building a career in the field. More than 400 people attended this year’s event. Attendees asked questions during Q&A sessions, explored research at poster presentations and met with more than a dozen cybersecurity companies.

Student-built cybersecurity tool

UK ITS cybersecurity student workers Nate Berry, James Parker and Caleb Thatcher kicked off the day by introducing Cataclysm, a cybersecurity software program they designed under the guidance of the UK ITS cybersecurity team.

“As cybersecurity threats continue to evolve, protecting your assets requires staying one step ahead,” Parker said. “We created Cataclysm to identify weaknesses before attackers can exploit them.”

Throughout the day, students also connected with professors and cybersecurity professionals and networked with several cybersecurity companies. 

Career advice from industry professionals

A career panel of UK_CYBERCON sponsors fielded questions on everything from landing a first cybersecurity job to keeping up with a field that’s always changing. Panelists included: 

• Kevin Donahoe, practice director – Data Observability, Data and Experiences, Trace3 

• Chris Vazquez, senior solutions engineer, Splunk 

• Jason Punda, principal architect – cybersecurity, Pellara 

• Devyn Malinzak, commercial account executive, Blackwood 

• Fadi Fadhil, field CIO, Palo Alto Networks 

• Robert Chase, director – strategic sales engineering, Kinetic 

• Richard Moran, vice president of systems engineering, Fortinet 

Malinzak didn’t start her career in cybersecurity, but she’s grateful the field found her.

“If I could tell students one thing, it would be to get comfortable being uncomfortable,” Malinzak said. “I came from a medical and business background. You don’t have to walk into this industry knowing everything.”

“Be curious, ask questions, lean into the challenges and don’t be afraid to be the person in the room who is still learning. That’s the fun of cybersecurity: no two days are the same; there’s always something new to conquer, and you’re never doing it alone. Cyber is a team sport!”

Keeping AI agents safe and secure

Everyone plays a role in cybersecurity, and as technology evolves, so does the need for analysts, researchers and experts who can keep people and data safe.

Dr. Ruiquan Huang, assistant professor in the UK Department of Computer Science, explored one of the field’s newest challenges in a presentation titled “AI Safety and Security in the Age of Agents.”

“As AI agents gain the ability to act on our behalf, safety and security need to be built into both their training and deployment,” Huang said. “That means rewarding safe actions, monitoring their behavior and enforcing clear limits on what they can access.”