ECU’s Lunsford provides address at cybersecurity conference

Dr. Phil Lunsford, associate professor from the Department of Technology Systems at East Carolina University, provided the keynote address during a cybersecurity conference at Wilson Community College in Wilson.

Dr. Phil Lunsford, associate professor in the Department of Technology Systems at East Carolina University, speaks during a cybersecurity conference at Wilson Community College in Wilson. (Photo by Wilson Community College)

The conference — called “Cyber Safe in the Gigabit City” — featured industry experts as well as employees and students from the community college sharing information on cyber safety and security. More than 100 people attended the event.

Lunsford’s address was called “Security Pitfalls in Today’s Connected Consumer World.” During the presentation, he stressed the need for consumers to make backup copies of their files and data and to keep their computers and cellphones updated with the latest information from manufacturers and software companies.

Lunsford is an instructor in cybersecurity as well as computer networking and applied cryptography. His research interests include cyber security and network performance.

The College of Engineering and Technology at ECU offers a bachelor’s degree in information and computer technology with a concentration in cybersecurity.

The college opened a new cybersecurity lab in the Science and Technology Building this fall. The more than $200,000 investment brings the latest technology to the lab while offering a space for teamwork and providing an area where simulated cyberattacks can take place.

The goal of the conference was to inform community members and business owners about digital safety and provide information on how they can better protect themselves and their information.