Arron “Finux” Finnon

Director of Cyber Security for Turbine Kreuzberg GmbH

SPEAKER BIO

Arron “Finux” Finnon is a notable figure in the information security community, with a career spanning over two decades. His contributions to the field are multifaceted, encompassing security research, public speaking, and advocacy for open-source software.

Finnon’s expertise and interests lie in a broad range of security-related topics, which he has shared at numerous security and hacking conferences both in Europe and further afield. His work has had a significant impact on the many security professionals and their approaches to various cybersecurity challenges.

DISCUSSION TOPIC

The wrong side of history

Snowden’s bombshell revelations rocked the world, yet some nodded in unsurprised recognition. The staggering complexity and sheer scale of the surveillance operation had many asking: How could such a gigantic system stay secret, involving so many, without becoming public knowledge? Surely, we didn’t need Snowden to blow the whistle for us to catch wind of it? Yet, if we take a brief detour through our modern history, it’s clear this isn’t the first rodeo of large-scale, secretive endeavors in the name of ‘freedom’. Case in point: the Manhattan Project. This was a mammoth undertaking, equally cloaked in secrecy, aimed at a monumental shift in power.Diving deeper, the parallels between the quest for nuclear dominance and the global interception maze begin to emerge.

Despite their different endgames, both share a backbone of extreme secrecy and the goal to gain a pivotal upper hand. A glance back into our history reduces the initial shock of Snowden’s disclosures, revealing a pattern of ambitious, clandestine projects woven into the fabric of our past. This discussion aims to spotlight these historical echoes, connecting past and present to demystify the origins and motives behind such vast, secretive networks. Borrowing from an old Russian adage, “Keep one eye on the past, and you’re half-blind; keep both eyes on the future, and you’re completely blind.” It’s high time we embraced the lessons of history, to better grasp the present and anticipate what’s coming.