Trend Micro’s annual free-for-all cybersecurity conference DECODE 2024: Fusion Forward records over 1,100 participants

On its 8th year of hosting its free-for-all cybersecurity conference DECODE, leading cybersecurity firm Trend Micro registered a record-breaking 1,100+ attendees last September 10, at the EDSA Shangri-la hotel. Local IT and cybersecurity professionals came together for a full day of networking, talks, panel discussions, and hands-on activities that highlighted how fusing technologies will aid in pushing forward toward a more resilient and secure future. 

“We are beyond grateful for all the support DECODE has received throughout the years. From 500 attendees when we first launched in 2017 to over a thousand this year, we are confident in the future of cybersecurity in the Philippines and will continue to support local professionals in their cybersecurity journeys,” shared Alma Saturnino-Alvarez, Trend Micro’s Director for Threat Research and founder of DECODE. 

With 24 track sessions covering topics ranging from AI-assisted cybercrime to automotive security, DECODE 2024 focused on the intersection between various technologies—most notably artificial intelligence, in strengthening one’s security against all kinds of threat actors. 

Led by VicOne, a Trend Micro subsidiary focused on automotive cybersecurity solutions, DECODE’s first-ever session on vehicle security was jam-packed with eager attendees. This session raised attendees’ awareness of potential cybercriminal activity involving electric vehicles (EVs) by demonstrating how a car could get hacked via its infotainment and radio frequency systems.

The panel discussion held in the afternoon featured global cybersecurity experts from Trend Micro and its partner law enforcement agencies, Robert McArdle (Director of Forward-Looking Threat Research, Trend Micro), Ivo De Carvalho Peixinho (Head of Cybercrime Intelligence Unit, Interpol), Ritu Gill (Open-Source Intelligence Analyst and Co-Founder, Forensic OSINT), and Ryan Flores (Senior Manager of Forward-Looking Threat Research, Trend Micro APAC). The panel discussed the latest trends and cybercrimes led by generative AI and deep fakes, the value of educating children and raising consumer awareness for cybersecurity, and how organizations big and small can best protect themselves from data breaches and cyber attacks. 

To wrap up the day’s events, Flores ended his locknote with the message, “AI can accelerate all kinds of things, but learning, understanding, and being creative are the things that differentiate you from AI,” He then implored attendees to take all that they learned throughout the day and use it to “help improve the systems of their respective companies and build things that are secure, ethical, and for the common good." 

DECODE 2024: Fusion Forward is only one initiative under Trend Micro’s mission statement of being #EngineeredToDoGood. To access free resources and more information about cybersecurity for professionals and non-professionals alike, visit Trend Micro’s official website www.trendmicro.com, and its official Facebook Page.