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June General Meeting
Security Lessons From Lockpicks and POODLEs
Speaker: Philip Chong, Software Engineer Senior Staff, Synopsys
As software has grown in importance to everyone, so has the domain of security shifted from physical to digital concerns. This talk describes two seemingly disparate attacks on security-related systems and looks at some interesting similarities between them. Additionally, the significance of oracles in secure systems is discussed.
Philip Chong enjoys puzzles and algorithms. He holds a BASc in Computer Engineering from the University of Waterloo, a PhD in EECS from the University of California, Berkeley, and a locksmith certificate. He currently works as part of the Software Integrity Group at Synopsys.
7:00 PM, Tuesday, June 22, 2021
Note that this is the fourth Tuesday of June (not the last Tuesday). Also note that this meeting starts at 7:00 PM (not the earlier in-person meeting time).The presentation will begin immediately after the AGM. The Zoom meeting will be open around 6:30 PM for socializing.
If you would like to attend, RSVP to "office" at "cuug.ab.ca" and we'll send you a Zoom invite prior to the meeting. We look forward to seeing you there!
Annual General Meeting and Elections
The Calgary UNIX Users' Group is holding its Annual General Meeting and election of the 2021/2022 Board of Directors. Nominees so far include the following:
If you would like to nominate anyone else (or volunteer yourself), please contact "cuugboard" at "cuug.ab.ca".7:00 PM, Tuesday, June 22, 2021
This year's AGM will be a bit unusual in a couple of ways. Firstly, in keeping with health guidelines, this will be a virtual meeting held via Zoom, rather than an in-person meeting. Secondly, since membership in CUUG has been on hiatus for the 2020/2021 year, there are only a handful of formal members. Nevertheless, we want to keep everyone in the loop, so you are welcome to attend the AGM, which will take place immediately preceding the regularly-scheduled June presentation as part of the same Zoom meeting.
If you have any questions or concerns, please direct these to "cuugboard" at "cuug.ab.ca". If you would like to attend the meeting, RSVP to "office" at "cuug.ab.ca" and we'll send you the Zoom link.
Membership Renewals Due
Following our one-year hiatus, it is time for past members to re-join CUUG
(and a good opportunity for prospective new members to
join
for the first time). Membership fees remain at $50.00 (no GST),
and cheques can be made payable to Calgary UNIX Users' Group.
Our mailing address is as follows:
Calgary Unix Users' Group
Box 878, Station M
Calgary, Alberta, Canada, T2P 2J6
Invoices have been sent by email. If you have not yet received yours, please contact office at CUUG.
May General Meeting
OT Cyber Risk Management and the Colonial Pipeline Attack
Speaker: Andrew Ginter, VP Industrial Security, Waterfall Security Solutions
Andrew Ginter returns to explore questions left over from his previous presentation, address additional OT risk management concepts from his book-in-progress, and apply the concepts to a very recent and public example - the Colonial Pipeline attack. Expect a discussion format - questions and feedback are welcome.
Andrew Ginter is the VP of Industrial Security at Waterfall Security Solutions. He has written two books on industrial cybersecurity, is a co-author of the Industrial Internet Consortium Security Framework, co-hosts the Industrial Security Podcast, is a lecturer for the Industrial Security Institute, and contributes frequently to industrial security standards and best-practice guidance. Andrew spent 20 years developing control systems and IT/OT middleware. He then led the development of the world's first industrial SIEM as the Chief Technology Officer at Industrial Defender. Today he leads a team of experts at Waterfall who work with the world's most secure industrial sites.
6:00 PM, Tuesday, May 25, 2021
If you would like to attend, RSVP to "office" at "cuug.ab.ca" and we'll send you a Zoom invite prior to the meeting. We look forward to seeing you there!
April General Meeting
The Latest on Operations Technology Cyber Risk
Speaker: Andrew Ginter, VP Industrial Security, Waterfall Security Solutions
Andrew Ginter joins us to look at OT / industrial risks and security approaches. He starts with an update of the big cyber threats everyone is talking about: the SolarWinds supply chain breach, the Ramsay (USB) attack, and targeted ransomware. Then he takes us into what he's working on for his next book. He starts with business and engineering priorities vs OT / industrial security first principles. He then progressively applies the principles, starting with the smallest sites who have the least amount of effort and money to throw at the problem, and works up to larger and more complex sites. He touches on all of physical mitigations (SPR and CCE), manual fall-backs, air gaps, USB and laptop controls, the role of AV, security monitoring, unidirectional gateways, when and why (and why not) to do security updates, where (and where not) to use firewalls, uses and limitations of encryption and more. It may sound like a lot but the target for the book is less than 100 pages. Expect a discussion format - Andrew is looking for feedback as to whether the material makes sense, needs to be re-ordered, has gaps, etc.
Andrew Ginter is the VP of Industrial Security at Waterfall Security Solutions. He has written two books on industrial cybersecurity, is a co-author of the Industrial Internet Consortium Security Framework, co-hosts the Industrial Security Podcast, is a lecturer for the Industrial Security Institute, and contributes frequently to industrial security standards and best-practice guidance. Andrew spent 20 years developing control systems and IT/OT middleware. He then led the development of the world's first industrial SIEM as the Chief Technology Officer at Industrial Defender. Today he leads a team of experts at Waterfall who work with the world's most secure industrial sites.
6:00 PM, Tuesday, April 27, 2021
If you would like to attend, RSVP to "office" at "cuug.ab.ca" and we'll send you a Zoom invite prior to the meeting. We look forward to seeing you there!
March General Meeting
Cord-Cutting Adventure
Speaker: Roy Brander, CUUG Life Member
Roy Brander is not into conspiracy theories, but could swear there was one against cord-cutting. Cord-cutting shouldn't be any more of an "adventure" than buying a toaster. But it is.
For starters, the consumer electronics industry, normally so eager to sell us computers, laptops, pads, phones, and watches; the industry that for 30 years has sold us VCRs, competed over Beta vs VHS and Super-VHS (look it up, it existed), then sold us DVDs, DVD recorders with DVD-R and DVD-RW, then sold us DVRs that recorded standard definition, then sold us Blu-Ray players of increasing degrees of quality and declining prices...these days, they've utterly given up selling us anything that can record video.
Nevertheless, with sufficient determination, Roy was able to gather the necessary hardware and open-source software to assemble a system which lets him record over-the-air TV signals for later viewing. Cutting the cord is indeed possible. Roy will present his experience in detail, giving you a helpful background should you wish to follow in his footsteps.
Roy Brander is a CUUG Life Member. He has given a number of presentations on a wide variety of subjects, including the BSDWall project, the MEPIS Linux distribution, the Titanic, management of Calgary's water mains, and the ASUS Eee PC and Moore's Law. Roy has retired from his position as the Senior Infrastructure Engineer for Water Resources, The City of Calgary, and now lives in a Vancouver condo overlooking Stanley Park.
See the web version of this presentation, or Roy's blog entry on which it was based.
6:00 PM, Tuesday, March 23, 2021
If you would like to attend, RSVP to "office" at "cuug.ab.ca" and we'll send you a Zoom invite prior to the meeting. We look forward to seeing you there!
John Clarke, R.I.P.
We are saddened to report that John Clarke, our Secretary-Treasurer, died of leukemia in October, 2020.
John was diagnosed with leukemia in July, and was undergoing treatment over the course of the summer. His prognosis was looking good. He suddenly took a turn for the worse and died on October 12.
John served on the CUUG Board of Directors for over ten years, including terms as Vice President and Secretary-Treasurer. He stood up when his accounting experience was needed by CUUG. Without fanfare, he faithfully prepared financial statements for our annual society filings. John was a well-known member of the ERPNext community and gave a presentation on ERPNext to CUUG in 2017. John was a soft-spoken and unassuming contributor. We will miss his gentle humour and good work. John was a credit to the Calgary Unix Users' Group.
You can read more at John's obituary and ERPNext tribute.
February General Meeting
CUUG's 30th Anniversary Virtual Social Evening
This month marks the 30th anniversary of CUUG's inception. Though we can't get together in person to celebrate this milestone, we can still meet virtually.
On Tuesday, February 23, we'll have an informal social meeting via Zoom to reminisce about the past, and to catch up on what people have been up to since our last in-person meeting. We'll also take this opportunity to get used to Zoom, in preparation for future CUUG presentations.
If you haven't already done so, you can install the Zoom client for Linux. This will allow you to attend our meeting without having to abandon your favorite operating system. (You can of course use Zoom on Mac or even Windows if you really insist.)
6:00 PM, Tuesday, February 23, 2021
If you would like to attend, RSVP to "office" at "cuug.ab.ca" and we'll send you a Zoom invite prior to the meeting. We look forward to seeing you there!
Flashback to 2005
The Danger of Software Patents
Speaker: Richard M. Stallman, Founder, Free Software Foundation
If you miss in-person CUUG meetings, here's something from May, 2005, to re-watch or watch for the first time.
Richard Stallman explains how software patents obstruct software development. Software patents are patents that cover software ideas. They restrict the development of software, so that every design decision brings a risk of getting sued. Patents in other fields restrict factories, but software patents restrict every computer user. Economic research shows that they even retard progress.
Having solicited professional medical advice regarding the current state of the COVID-19 pandemic in the context of our meetings and after consultations with our Board of Directors
Calgary UNIX Users' Group meetings have been cancelled until further notice.
We will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation as it develops.
Best Wishes,
Calgary UNIX Users' Group
2020 Board of Directors
At the June 2020 Annual General Meeting, the following people were elected to the Board of Directors for 2020/2021:
- Alan Dewar (President)
- John Clarke (Secretary-Treasurer)
- Christopher Aziz
- Winson Duong
- Dick Miller