September end will witness one of the most important cybersecurity events in the EU. The 6th edition of the CYBERSEC Global Cybersecurity Forum 2020 will be held from September 28-30, 2020 online. It is one of the most anticipated events covering cybersecurity and cyber policies, and this year, the event goes virtual and is free for everyone. This edition also has a global focus – speakers and attendees from other countries will discuss their cybersecurity challenges. With an impressive line-up of speakers from NATO, the European Parliament, and other authoritative institutions, the event is well attended every year. This year, the President of the Republic of Estonia, Her Excellency, Kersti Kaljulaid will be one of the principal speakers. One can register for the event here: https://cybersecforum.eu/
This year’s CYBERSEC leitmotif (theme) is: “Together Against Adversarial Internet.” This is aligned to the forum mission which is to enhance cooperation of like-minded countries to secure digital transformation. The event will have four thematic streams (tracks) with prominent figures among the speakers. The open access to the conference will enable any interested person from all over the world to take part in the event, get insights from big cybersecurity names, and hear about remedies for current cybersecurity dilemmas accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
We live in unprecedented times when the novel Coronavirus pandemic shows clearly the bright and dark sides of digital transformation, as well as the need to cooperate in building a safe cyberspace. “In that light this edition of CYBERSEC will be held under the leitmotif ‘Together Against Adversarial Internet’ – meaning that technologies, although their primary goal is to benefit societies, sometimes play another role as they enable individuals with malicious intent to use them in an adversarial manner, one that hurts rather than benefits societies and economies, and that only an alliance of like-minded partners can stem the rise of malicious actors and authoritarian models of technology deployment as well as secure the cyberspace,” says Izabela Albrycht, Chair of The Kosciuszko Institute and President of the Organizing Committee of the European Cybersecurity Forum – CYBERSEC.
Albrycht is also part of the Advisory Group on emerging and disruptive technologies appointed by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
NATO’s Interest in CYBERSEC
The upcoming CYBERSEC is going to be fundamentally important for the public debate on technology development directions as regards to not only EU but also NATO. Many technologies are dual-use, with both civilian and military applications, hence for some time, NATO has been putting heavy emphasis on establishing policies on innovative solutions, consulting in strategic aspects of disruptive technologies, and trailblazing inventive research. These are the main tasks of the twelve-strong Advisory Group on emerging and disruptive technologies appointed by NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg; among its members is Izabela Albrycht. In NATO, the person responsible for this process is Deputy Secretary-General of NATO Mircea Geoană, who along with CYBERSEC Chair will be one of the main guests to inaugurate this year’s conference.
Conference Streams
Mirroring past editions, this year’s CYBERSEC will be composed of four thematic streams/tracks. The first one, the State Stream, will focus on the multi-faceted problem of how tech should be regulated for it to develop in a secure manner without slowing down its natural progress. Topics in this Stream include global surveillance, digital governance, and decoupling in the digital supply chain.
The second one, the Future Stream, deals with finding a measured approach to emerging and future technologies and the possibilities and challenges they’ll likely bring to the fore. It will tackle important issues such as quantum computing, threats to digital identity, and human-level artificial intelligence.
Next to it comes the Business Stream, focused on the private sector – the main provider of technology and as such remaining on the very frontline of innovation, research, and development. Here the debates will home in on themes such as countering adversity in the data-driven economy, the role of technology providers in ensuring a peaceful internet, COVID-19 redefining critical sectors of economies.
Finally, there’s the Defence Stream focusing on the technological developments of the military sector and its implications for international security. Attendees can expect subjects such as the military use of 5G, information warfare, and cybersecurity of outer space among others to be discussed on this Stream.
Speaker Line-up
On the speaker front, this year CYBERSEC features personalities such as Margrethe Vestager (EVP, European Commission), Mircea Geoană (Deputy Secretary-General, NATO), Sir Julian King (Former European Commissioner for Security Union), Flavio Aggio (Chief Information Security Officer, WHO), Carine Claeys (EU Special Envoy for Space; Head of the Space Task Force, EEAS), Michael Chertoff (Co-Chair, Global Commission on the Stability of Cyberspace; Former US Secretary of Homeland Security), and from Asia and Pacific region: Samir Saran (President, Observer Research Foundation (ORF), India), Abigail Bradshaw (Head, Australian Cyber Security Centre), Tobias Feakin (Ambassador for Cyber Affairs and Critical Technology, Australia), Magda Chelly (Head, Cyber Risk Consulting Marsh Asia, Founder of WoSEC Singapore, Brand Ambassador of CYBERSEC FORUM 2020), and Shin Oya (Senior Consulting Fellow, Asia Pacific Initiative).
Global Focus
While historically, this conference has been centered on Europe, this year’s event will extend its range to discuss and tackle truly global strategic cybersecurity challenges by including high-profile names from Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, India, South Africa, Israel, and the UAE.
It will be also open and free for everyone interested in broadening their knowledge and getting insights about cybersecurity and how new technologies affect geopolitical shifts and strategic competition between global players. For more information about the CYBERSEC Global 2020 and for the registration process, visit https://cybersecforum.eu
CYBERSEC Through the Years
EUROPEAN CYBERSECURITY FORUM – CYBERSEC is one of the leading cybersecurity conferences in Europe, organized by the Kosciuszko Institute since 2015. Throughout its six years of history, CYBERSEC has partnered with important international institutions such as NATO, European Commission and European Parliament and has organized 11 editions of CYBERSEC Forums in Europe (Warsaw, Kraków, Katowice and Brussels) and in the United States (Washington) including the participation of renowned figures from different walks of life invested in bringing awareness to cyber threats.
It has also been involved in other region-wide group efforts to provide a secure and safe framework to navigate cyberspace, chief among them the Three Seas Initiative. Furthermore, the EUROPEAN CYBERSECURITY FORUM has been an important advocate voice for a secure rollout of the 5G network, knowledge sharing and upholding good practices in the field of data privacy, and promoting respect in the EU for the NIS Directive among other endeavors.
Through the years, CYBERSEC has hosted 748 speakers from more than 45 countries, more than 400 accredited journalists, enjoyed the support of 293 Partners and Patrons and welcomed more than 5580 participants.
CISO MAG is Media Patron for CYBERSEC Global Cybersecurity Forum 2020.
