Cork|Sec 126

Running since June 2013, every month we have 1-2 talks focused on Security or Technology - followed by socialising with like minded people – and you can find out exactly what to expect about the night and the venue on the What We're About section of our Meetup page. Past talk details are on our wiki on http://corksec.com/. All people with any sort of an interest or level of knowledge in Security, Hacking and Emerging Technology are more than welcome to attend and feel free to bring like minded colleagues and friends.

CorkSec is made possible through generous sponsorship from our Silver Sponsors Trend Micro and CyberSkills , as well as our Bronze Sponsors featured prominently on the night.

Our talks come from our community so if you have an idea for a topic (anything for 10-60 minutes) please email us at DefconCork@gmail.com . Whether you are an experienced presenter, or presenting for your first time - CorkSec is a great venue for it - and we are happy to help you prepare and mentor you.

Doors open at 19:00 with talks starting at 19:15. Talks below

TALK 1: Are you really understanding AI? - Demystifying Inaccuracies in Explainable AI - Urja Pawar
Making AI explainable is not just about generating explanations; it's also about ensuring these explanations are accurate and reliable. In this session, we'll explore the unanticipated inaccuracies that can emerge in XAI, and discuss potential solutions to improve the reliability and trustworthiness of AI explanations.

TALK 2: Anatomy of the QakBot Botnet: Understanding QakBot Infrastructure, Operations, and Distribution Channels - Ian Kenefick & Chris Boyton
QakBot is a highly sophisticated malware that was used by several top-tier Cybercriminal groups for over 16 years. In recent years, QakBot has been a key enabler of high impact Ransomware incidents, such as those involving the Black Basta Ransomware group. In August 2023, the Qakbot Botnet was the subject of a high profile international Law Enforcement Agency takedown effort, led by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation. In this talk, we will delve into the details of QakBot Command & Control and distribution infrastructure and shed light into how Trend Micro protected our customers from this notorious malware. We will also provide insights from the criminal underground and attempt to predict “what’s next” for QakBot developers (who are still at large) and QakBot’s Ransomware customers like Black Basta.