Infosec 716 August Virtual Meetup

Our speaker for the August meetup will be Jonathan Gonzalez, presenting "Navigating the Shadows: The Crucial Intersection of KYC, AML, and Cyber Threat Intelligence".

Diving deep into the digital crime underworld reveals a bustling marketplace where access brokers sell keys to digital kingdoms (a.k.a., compromised system credentials) and cryptocurrency mixers make illicit gains vanish. This shadowy economy isn’t just a sideshow; it’s the main stage for cyber threats, fueling everything from data theft to ransomware and sophisticated financial fraud. For those in the trenches of threat intelligence, becoming fluent in the financial tactics used by cybercriminals isn’t just beneficial—it’s crucial. As we navigate through real-life scenarios, we'll uncover just how deeply these worlds are intertwined. Imagine being able to anticipate a cyber threat’s next move by understanding the financial mechanics behind it, or shutting down an attack by tracing the flow of illicit funds. This journey through the digital underground will demonstrate the unparalleled advantage that comes with integrating KYC and AML knowledge into cyber threat intelligence, and will explore why a comprehensive grasp on financial fraud concepts is paramount for cybersecurity experts today.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Jonathan Gonzalez graduated from the University of Texas at San Antonio with a major in Cybersecurity and Information Systems and a minor in Digital Forensics in 2020. During his collegiate career he worked in Application Security, Security Operations and Vulnerability Management before doing Digital Forensics and Incident Response (DFIR) at Crowdstrike. He is now an Assistant Vice President (AVP) of Cyber Threat Intelligence at Synchrony Financial, where he works to build and test enterprise defenses for key stakeholders. Currently, he is a graduate student in Global Security Studies at Johns Hopkins University, deepening his understanding of the intersection between cybersecurity and global security. Outside of his professional and academic pursuits, Jonathan enjoys lifting weights, traveling, engaging with the Warhammer 40k universe, and reading military history.