Join us for a data-driven webinar on how state and non-state sponsored groups are using Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) tactics to successfully breach critical infrastructure—and the most efficient ways to stop them.
Dr. Ymir Vigfusson, professor of computer science at Emory University, and CTO of Keystrike, has analyzed how APT groups such as Typhoon have consistently exploited identity and access gaps across critical IT and OT systems leading to significant monetary and reputational damages. These breaches led to a dizzying array of new guidelines from federal agencies like NIST, CISA, and the EPA aimed at protecting US critical infrastructure from these emerging and dangerous threats.
This session compares real-world attack patterns against current federal guidance to uncover a critical insight: APT groups continue to succeed—not because defenders lack standards, but because those standards don’t address the attackers’ preferred path.
Fortunately, the research also points to an efficient way to detect and block APTs before they reach sensitive systems.
In this webinar, we’ll cover:
• The most common methods and protocols exploited by state-sponsored attackers and other APT groups
• An analysis of the 2024–2025 best practices for critical infrastructure from CISA, NIST, and the EPA
• The most efficient and effective detection point and method to stop APT groups
I am the CTO and co-founder of Keystrike, a growing cybersecurity company that emerged from my research as Associate Professor at Emory University. I have a PhD in Computer Science from Cornell University.
I am a reformed hacker making amends, a mathematician disguised as a computer scientist, a builder of systems and companies, a public speaker and educator, a private pilot and a pianist, a culturally curious Icelander, and an exoskeleton for 4 little viklings.
What I SEEK
I seek simple solutions to complex problems, such as:
How do we make cybersecurity genuine, easy, and understandable?
How do we make networked systems effortlessly perform and scale?
How do we bolster disease outbreak surveillance with technology?
What I HAVE DONE
I have been involved in a number of research projects, which are listed in my curriculum vitae and my publications. My academic research has been gratefully supported by the NSF, CDC, RANNIS, and other funding from industry.
Before starting Keystrike in 2023, I co-founded the penetration testing company Syndis (acquired in 2021) and the cybersecurity education company Adversary (acquired in 2020).
I have had the fortune of spending time with some remarkable people, and I have enjoyed passing what I learned on to my students and various audiences. Some of my public talks and courses are available online.
