RSA Conference 2023 is in full swing! Today, we enjoyed 11 keynotes and 78 track sessions led by speakers who shared inspirational stories and insights with thousands of our attendees. If you were unable to attend all the sessions you wanted to, remember that many are available on-demand on the session pages on our website. Some highlights from today’s agenda include:

First off, Launch Pad made its coveted return with a Shark Tank setting in which finalists Balance Theory, Guardrail and QWERX gave their best elevator pitch to Robert Ackerman from AllegisCyber Capital, Emily Heath from Cyberstarts and Arik Kleinstein from Glilot Capital Partners. This was not an easy crowd to impress, but these companies wowed the panel with their innovative solutions.

Ever heard of John McAfee? (but of course!) Bloomberg cybersecurity reporter Jamie Tarabay teamed up with Allan Liska of Recorded Future today to host a live production of Foundering: The John McAfee Story, in which they narrated an episode of the Bloomberg Technology podcast and reflected on McAfee’s lasting impact on the modern cybersecurity industry.

Next, an annual crowd favorite returned – The Cryptographers’ Panel. This year’s group discussed some forward-looking questions like: Will cryptocurrencies rattle in your pocket? Will quantum computing break our current public-key systems? And will machine learning learn to break into our systems.

We then welcomed country music superstar Chris Stapleton to the RSAC stage to discuss his experience with the digital transformation of the music industry. Chris joined us along with panelists Herb Stapleton with the FBI, Hany Farid, UC Berkeley Professor and Katherine Forrest, Partner with Paul Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP who had a though-provoking discussion on AI and cyber-enabled threats facing musicians in Face the Music: Cybersecurity and the Music Industry.

Lastly, for a break in programming on the negative threats facing our industry, we heard from Vasu Jakkal, CVP of Microsoft Security who opened up about how human expertise is precious, despite the evolving uses of AI, and how breakthroughs in technology are only capable of closing the security gaps because of the people that power them. Vasu also outlined some key technologies she believes are reshaping what the future of our industry looks like in Defending at Machine Speed: Technology’s New Frontier.

Renowned theoretical physicist and futurist Dr. Michio Kau closed out day two keynotes with a look at what to expect over the next 50 years.

We had international royalty in the house with HRH Prince Constantijn opening the Dutch cybersecurity pavilion on Tuesday morning and we also welcomed a special appearance today from local 49ers legend Jerry Rice to the Rubrik booth on the Expo Floor in the afternoon.

Wednesday: At a Glance
We encourage you to check out the full schedule, but here are a few talks and events happening tomorrow that you won’t want to miss:

• Cybersecurity and Military Defense in an Increasingly Digital World – 8:30 – 9:20 AM at Moscone South, Room 201. Join executives working with innovative technology that is impacting the battlefield and will explain how the pressure is on to get it into programs of record and warfighter’s hands more quickly, with assured security.
• Real World Stories of Incident Response and Threat Intelligence – 9:40 – 10:30 AM at Moscone South, Room 201. In this session, three leading figures in the incident response and threat intelligence industry share their experiences from responding to incidents in the last 12 months.
• The State of Cybersecurity – Year in Review – 11:10 – 11:30 AM at Moscone West Street Level. Be sure to listen in as Kevin Mandia, CEO of Mandiant Google Cloud, shares stories of cyber intrusions throughout the year and provides attacker techniques, cyber defense tips for security operators and an explanation for how cyber security is impacting Board and executive decisioning.
• Stranger Together: Becoming Monty Python – 11:30 – 11:55 AM at Moscone West Street Level. Get up-close-and-personal as legend Eric Idle shares his insights of how teamwork helped five British writers and an American cartoonist conquer the world of comedy.
• The Five Most Dangerous New Attack Techniques – 3:55 – 4:40 PM at Moscone West Street Level. Each year SANS returns to provide the authoritative briefing on the most dangerous new attack techniques in use today, what's coming next, and what organizations can do to prepare. Join in!
• RSAC Early Stage Expo – 9:30 – 4:30 PM in Moscone South, Level 2 Room 205. Back for another year, Early Stage Expo is your chance to meet 50 of the industry’s most promising newcomers. Learn about their innovative products and solutions by visiting their kiosks or sitting in on a short demo at the Early Stage Expo Briefing Center. The Early Stage Expo is open to all passes Wednesday and Thursday.

Lastly, we extend huge congratulations to Innovation Sandbox judge and renowned cryptographer and independent researcher Paul Kocher, who was recognized for his research on the algorithms, hardware and software that underpin the security of modern systems with the RSAC Award for Excellence in the Field of Mathematics. Congrats, Paul!

A reminder that the Expo hours on Wednesday will be 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM. Here’s to another exciting day at RSA Conference 2023!