Harris Institute for Assured Information to Host Renowned Authority in Computer Virus Prevention

MELBOURNE, FLA.—The Harris Institute for Assured Information at Florida Institute of Technology will host David Perry in a series of presentations April 19 and 20. Both presentations are free and open to the public.

The April 19 lecture will be held at 6:30 p.m. in the third floor conference room of the Harris Center for Science and Engineering on the Florida Tech campus.

Perry will speak on “Extinction Events, Co-Evolution, and Malware.” Throughout the history of malicious software, there have been changes to the operating environment designed to stop the dominant malware schema. Every time there is a new solution—from floppy disks to email to web-based—people hope it will “end this virus thing once and for all.” Perry says that nothing could be farther from the truth. Malware is not a static “thing.” It is an expression of human activity and the humans on either side (or perhaps 12 sides) of the equation change their behavior and up the game level continuously.

The April 20 lecture will be at noon in the main auditorium of the F.W. Olin Engineering building. In his talk, “Anti Virus Confidential,” Perry will share lessons he has learned in the antivirus industry.

Perry is an independent consultant and the former global director of education at Trend Micro. He served in the national Y2K center and co-chaired two meetings at the White House concerning the protection of America’s critical digital infrastructure. Perry has appeared on numerous national television news broadcasts, including the ABC Evening News, CBS’s Good Morning America, and NPR’s All Things Considered. He has been quoted on the front page of major publications such as the New York Times and USA Today.

Perry continues to lead efforts to educate computer users in every walk of life. “Great system security begins in admitting that there is a problem, but that is only the first step towards working in a safer, more secure world,” he said.

For more information about the lecture, contact Dee Bonilla, Harris Institute for Assured Information, at (321) 674-8590.