Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin sets cybersecurity summit in Little Rock

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin said he wants to address a growing worldwide threat to security.

Griffin announced in a statement Tuesday that he will host a Cybersecurity Summit on Oct. 7-8 at the Statehouse Convention Center. The event will feature a keynote address from Jen Easterly, the director of the National Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

Admission to the summit will be at no cost, the announcement stated.

The event will coincide with the Forge Institute’s fifth annual Cyber Summit, which will also be held at the Statehouse Convention Center.

Griffin said the summit reflects a growing need.

“Cybersecurity is becoming increasingly important as online technology advances,” Griffin said. “My office regularly deals with cybersecurity issues related to scams, data breaches, sexual exploitation, and other aspects of online criminal activity, so we are on the front lines of this fight every single day.”

The attorney general said the hope is the summit will lead to collaboration between groups active in and affected by cybersecurity. Typical of the collaboration is that some of the presentations will be held with the Forge Institute.

“I am also proud to work with our private sector partners at the Forge Institute,” Griffin said. “Their cybersecurity expertise and capabilities are invaluable resources to our country, and working alongside such a strong, Arkansas-based organization like Forge makes sense for our event.”

Officials said attendees should register in advance. Anyone with questions should contact the attorney general’s office at oag@arkansas.gov or 501-682-2007.