Cybercrime costs the world an estimated $113 billion a year and affects 378 million people, according to Symantec’s 2013 report on Cyber Crime.

To help business owners understand the risks and become more secure, The Technology Alliance Group(TAG) for Northwest Washington, Whatcom Community College, and Western Washington University teamed up to bring Cyber Risk Summit to Whatcom Community College on Oct. 30.

“The threat must be approached holistically,” said Meg Weber, Executive Director for TAG, in a press release. “Businesses must understand their risk, should have a plan ready, and everyone in the organization must be a part of the plan for it to be executed properly.”

To register or learn more about the event, go to www.cyberrisksummit.org.

Speakers include:
- Agnes Kirk, chief information security officer for the State of Washington
- Timothy Wallach, supervisory special agent of the FBI who leads the cyber task force in the Seattle field office
- Gerald Baron, crisis communications expert and author of “Now is too Late”
- Shay Colson, cyber security engineer for the U.S. Treasury Department
- Mark Anderson, founder and CEO of Strategic News Service
- Jim Straatman, technologist at Faithlife