The following was submitted by the Orcas Island Public Library

Join Paul Losleben and Tony Ghazel for a valuable discussion on Cyber-security at 6 p.m. on Thursday, June 20 at the Orcas Island Public Library.

Our daily life, economic vitality, and national security depend on a stable, safe, and resilient cyberspace. We rely on this vast array of networks to communicate and travel, power our homes, run our economy, and provide government services. Yet, cyber intrusions and attacks have increased dramatically over the last decade, exposing sensitive personal and business information, disrupting critical operations, and imposing high costs on the economy.

According to Chris Morris on CNBC.com: “the past month hasn’t been a good one for people concerned about online privacy. First, hackers stole personal information from 100 million accounts at Sony, then Symantec announced that Facebook might have accidentally leaked its users’ information to advertisers and third parties for several years without realizing it.”

“The breaches,” Morris continues, “coupled with some high-profile credit card hacks attacks, have people worried – and rightfully so.  If they’re not safe with some of the biggest holders of personal data around, is their data safe anywhere?”

Losleben is a retired research scientist living on Orcas Island.  Before retiring in 2001, Paul was a Senior Research Scientist at Stanford University for 12 years, where he managed advanced research programs in computing, nanofabrication, and the Internet.  Prior to this, he managed a national research program at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency following a 20-year career at the National Security Agency.

Ghazel is currently and has been involved in the computer industry since 1980, and has lived on Orcas since 1997. After working in computer start-ups and with major industry leaders, he became involved in the medical imaging field until moving to Orcas and starting a consulting firm.