General Keith B. Alexander, director of the National Security Agency, will speak at Georgia Tech on Thursday about the need for a stronger digital defense to combat the growing number of cyber attacks.

Alexander, the top officer at U.S. Cyber Command, will give the keynote address of the Georgia Tech Cyber Security Symposium at 1:15 p.m. on March 28 at the Global Learning Center, room 236. Alexander will take questions from the audience during a Q&A session following his address.

Hosted by the National Academy of Engineering and the FBI, the symposium will highlight the technologies, challenges and policies that can prevent, detect and respond to cyber incidents. The event is free and open to the public, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on March 28 and from 9 a.m. to noon on March 29. 

In addition to Alexander’s speech on March 28, panels including Georgia Tech experts will discuss cutting edge research, related cyber security startups and the need for cyber security legislation. Georgia Tech’s expertise covers a wide range of cyber security issues including:

• Detection of botnets and other emerging cyber threats
• Analysis of malware and threat intelligence
• Security of mobile payments and detection of phone fraud
• Information privacy and cyber security policy

"With the growing scale and sophistication of cyber security threats, multidisciplinary teams at Georgia Tech are focused on gaining a better understanding of emerging threats, including partnering with government, business and industry to develop solutions," said Georgia Tech President G.P. "Bud" Peterson who will give opening remarks at the symposium. "The key to protecting our information is collaboration, and capitalizing on our strengths."

On the morning of March 29, chief information officers from 25 universities will examine cyber security concerns on college campuses and discuss the need for information sharing between the public and private sectors and law enforcement. Sean Farrell, chief of the FBI Office of the General Counsel’s Cyber Task Force, will also speak about legal issues surrounding cyber security.

 A live webcast of the symposium will be available: http://proed.pe.gatech.edu/gtpe/pelive/cybersecurity_32813/