Cyberattacks drain billions of dollars from the national economy every year, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration. Small businesses are particularly vulnerable to these attacks, which can include malware, ransomware and phishing.

The Economic Research Institute of Erie will explore these threats and offer an action plan to businesses at the 17th ERIE Conference at Penn State Behrend starting at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 2. The program will feature security experts from Fifth Wall, Networking Technologies, Erie Federal Credit Union and Channellock.

Faculty members from the Black School of Business and the Center for Family Business will discuss ways to manage business risk while connecting with local industry and academic experts.

For details, or to register, go to www.behrend.psu.edu/erieconference or call 814-898-6168.