RSA 2011: Me on a FUD panel

The good folks at Fortinet have asked me to sit on a panel in their booth about FUD in the security industry. Details here:

ť Panel Discussion – Security Mythbusting: Blowing Up the Security Hype

Visitors to the Fortinet booth will have a chance to hear today’s industry thought leaders weigh in on pressing issues.

On Tuesday and Wednesday at 1:30 p.m., join us for “Security Mythbusting: Blowing Up the Security Hype” with Mike Rothman of Securosis, Bill Brenner of CSOonline / IDG, a security expert from a Global 500 company, and Derek Manky, Fortinet’s own senior security strategist.

Calling me a thought leader is probably a stretch of massive proportions. But I’m glad to be asked, and I know and respect the others on the panel.

Mike Rothman’s presence alone should ensure that this thing is entertaining.

I’ll try to give the perspective of a journalist who is constantly barraged with press releases that hype up threats for the sake of selling security products.

I always have to make a choice: When to deem something a genuine enough threat to write about, and when to dismiss something as hype.

It’s not always an easy call, and I’m sure I’ve made the wrong choice more than once.

Who knows? Maybe being on this panel will sharpen my instincts on what is and isn’t FUD.

Come on by and keep me (and the other panelists) honest.

–Bill Brenner