Augusta University will be the center stage for the launch of a cyberattack powered by SANS CyberCity that will compromise a city’s infrastructure, including its power grid, sewage system, hospitals, and military structure.

This will all be done legally and in a controlled virtual environment, however, during the 2017 BSidesAugusta Information Security Conference. The purpose of this exercise? To train people to think like cyber criminals.

“In order to defend a network or computer system, cybersecurity professionals need to understand how the mind of cyber criminals work,” said Mark Baggett, an Augusta University alumnus and one of the organizers of BSidesAugusta. “Knowing your enemy is the first step to preventing an attack and eventually defeating them. This is one of the things we want conference participants to learn this year.”

BSidesAugusta is an annual conference that brings cybersecurity experts from around the world to Augusta University’s campus. In its fifth year, the conference will include keynote presentations from Russ McRee, senior director of Microsoft’s cyber defense team, and Jake Williams, founder and president of cybersecurity company Rendition Infosec.

“At Augusta University, we are committed to our nation’s future in cyberspace, and events like BSidesAugusta help us accomplish our mission of educating the next generation of cyber warriors,” said Joanne Sexton, founding dean of the School of Computer and Cyber Sciences and director of the Augusta University Cyber Institute. “We are proud to sponsor and host this conference and are looking forward to welcoming the cyber community to our campus once again.”

This year, BSidesAugusta will be part of Augusta Cyber Week, which will also include the Information Security Training and the Security Onion Conference.

BSidesAugusta is part of BSides, a network of cybersecurity experts from all over the world who create cyber events in their communities to keep the conversation going. BSidesAugusta is among the largest Security BSides events in the world. This year, conference organizers expect about 1,000 participants.

BSidesAugusta 2017 will take place 7:45 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 16, at J. Harold Harrison, MD Education Commons on the Health Sciences Campus of Augusta University.

Space is limited and you must register by Sept. 4 to attend. Registration costs $20 and will cover the cost of the conference, a meal, a shirt and prizes. For more information, follow @BSidesAugusta on Twitter or email [email protected].