The 6th edition of CYBERSEC Global 2020 has come to an end on 30th of September.
Over the past three days, the conference gathered over 100 speakers who joined over 40 panels and keynotes to discuss matters under the banner of “Together Against Adversarial Internet.” More than 2,500 attendees from over 100 countries joined the online binge-conferencing experience to learn more about the state of global cybersecurity, divided into four themes: State, Future, Business, and Defence.
The voices on how cybersecurity should be addressed by like-minded states were heard in unison–only a collaborative effort can drive remarkable effects. Even countries such as the United Kingdom, a true cyber power, which has been awarded with 2020 European CYBERSEC Award, shared this point of view, assuring that their allies are welcomed to using their innovative mindset and technology.
The urge for international collaboration and setting effective regulations that won’t limit innovation but at the same time will prevent emerging technologies from getting out of control and being used in malicious manner could be heard clearly.
When it comes to the future of technology and its implications on cybersecurity, like-minded countries need to find ways in the new digitized world, but at the same time, they mustn’t forget how great the global Internet has been to the global society. Diminishing its role in free information sharing would be a loss to humanity – admit panelists. However, there was a great concern that the decoupling of supply chain and Splinternet will be the options that will drive the digital world in the future.
Making our part of the world more immune to cyber threats while further developing emerging technologies is an effort that requires collaboration on many levels. All stakeholders need to be invited to the conversation, from alliances, governments, and regulators, through businesses and academia, up to the individuals. Interestingly, the solution might be inspired by stars. Just as we internationally cooperate in exploring outer space, we could find a compromise in using new technologies that are available globally. NATO has already identified both cyber and outer spaces as operational domains.
As few speakers noticed, previously, new technologies have been developed for military use and were populated towards open use later. Since the invention of the Internet, the companies came up with new ideas that can be also beneficial for defensive forces. This, however, creates security challenges such as in the case of 5G network deployment – the technology that can contribute greatly to further growth of our society. For military use and state security, the infrastructure needs to be set up carefully, with the highest security standards kept in mind.
This is why CYBERSEC Global 2020, similarly to the previous editions, is not only a thought-leadership conference, but also a venue for individual talks between invited leaders and experts from businesses, governments, NGOs, and many other entities.
Although CYBERSEC has been a physical conference since its 1st edition, it would be a loss if this year’s had been skipped due to pandemics. Samir Saran, CEO of Observer Research Foundation from India, said “What 9/11 had been for the security, COVID-19 is for the digitization”. This is a great summary of what we are witnessing today and a call to action in the nearest future. Solid technological advantage and engraving security into the DNA of the digital world can have the decisive impact on the world we live in. This is exactly why we are organizing CYBERSEC Global 2020.
Following the conference, a new report on the geopolitical implications of emerging technologies will be published. European Cybersecurity Forum also merges a set of recommendations based on the outcome of the conference.
CYBERSEC Global 2020 is organized by The Kosciuszko Institute, a Polish think tank forming ideas around cybersecurity. The main institutional partner is NATO Counter-Intelligence Centre of Excellence. The strategic partners of this year’s edition are Microsoft, Samsung, PZU, Facebook, PKN Orlen, and Google