12-13 October 2021
Online
Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge for South Africa
Atlantic Council and the Cybersecurity Capacity Centre for Southern Africa (C3SA) at the University of Cape Town, are partnering to host the inaugural Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge in South Africa. The Cyber 9/12 Challenge for South Africa is designed to offer students enrolled in tertiary education programmes across a wide range of academic disciplines in South African universities, a better understanding of the policy challenges associated with cybercrime and/or cyber operations. Part interactive learning experience and part competitive scenario exercise, the Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge for South Africa gives students interested in understanding and learning how to tackle and respond to cybercrime and/or to cyber operations, from a technical, policy, and legal angles an opportunity to interact with expert international, regional, and national mentors, judges, and cyber professionals while developing valuable skills in policy analysis and presentation.
Student teams will be challenged to respond to an evolving scenario involving a major cyber-attack and analyse the threat it poses to state, military, and private sector interests. Teams will be judged based on the quality of their policy responses, their decision-making processes, and their oral presentation to a panel of judges. Along the way, teams will work with coaches at their home institution to develop their policy skills and feedback from expert panels of judges will ensure that all participants have an opportunity to improve their skills, as well as networking opportunities during the competition.
23 Sep, 2021
Online
CENS Webinar “Making Ransomware Pay: Strategies for Taking Back Control”
CENS Webinar "Making Ransomware Pay: Strategies for Taking Back Control"
23 September 2021, 20:00h-21:30h
The recent Kaseya ransomware attacks brought together a formidable combination – a zero-day vulnerability, a supply chain hack and a ransomware encryption programme – that together crippled the delivery of critical and other essential services as well as affected the operations of up to an estimated 1,500 businesses. However, apart from efforts by governments and industry to patch vulnerabilities post-incident and mitigate effects, there appears to be still a relative paucity of effective measures to proactively address the increasingly complex ransomware threats that have arisen recently. Aside from the debate of whether to pay or not to pay, there have also been increasingly strident calls for governments and industry to combine a strong defence while developing proactive policy, legislative and operational levers to address and mitigate the ransomware threat. At the same time, the intersection of government and business interests is an opportunity to enhance collaboration to better address and mitigate the effects of such attacks in future, including in information sharing, investigation, tracing of ransomware payments and where appropriate, the tracking down of the perpetrators.
This webinar will seek to discuss policy, legislative and operational options and avenues for public-private partnership that are available to – and which can be developed by – governments and industry to proactively deal with increasingly sophisticated ransomware threats.
Panellists include: Tom Millar (CISA), David Koh (CSA Singapore), Rachel Falk (CSCRC) and Stéphane Duguin (CyberPeace Institute).
Themes & Topics
23 Sep, 2021
Online
Securing our Digital Future
10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. EDT
Join Foreign Policy on September 23rd for a new Virtual Dialogue exploring the economic, social, and geopolitical implications of escalating cybersecurity threats and the urgent need for international collaboration to combat them.
Against the backdrop of the 76th UN General Assembly and the proliferation of cyber attacks globally, FP Analytics, in partnership with Microsoft, will unveil a special report exploring how multilateral consensus for norms and rules around cybersecurity could safeguard the digital ecosystem. As recent, high-profile attacks have shown, malicious actors are relentlessly seeking out weaknesses in countries’ and companies’ cyber defenses. According to FP Analytics' report, a united front to defend critical infrastructure, businesses, and government assets will be critical to safeguarding the digital environment for economic growth, national security, and citizens’ privacy.
Microsoft President Brad Smith will join the event along with global thought leaders, policy experts, report contributors, and private sector executives will virtually sit together to share key insights from the report, explore the current state of play of multinational and regional efforts, and discuss ways to facilitate greater multi-stakeholder collaboration in addressing global cyber threats.
Themes & Topics
Organisation
23 Sep, 2021
Online
What Future for International Cyber Capacity Building?
23 September 2021 from 14:00-15:30 CEST
Coinciding with the EUISS launching of the EU-funded report on international cyber capacity building trends and scenarios, the EUISS are holding an online event in order to share its findings and discuss its themes. The report “International Cyber Capacity Building: Global Trends and Scenarios” is a first of its kind EU-funded research product to enhance the evidence-base on international cyber capacity building.
The event might be of particular interest to the following stakeholders:
• International stakeholders engaged in cyber capacity building, notably the Global Forum on Cyber Expertise community, donors, partner and beneficiary countries and organisations, international organisations, civil society organisations, and CCB project implementers;
• Digital development stakeholders and programmes engaging in digital transformation cooperation where CCB could be a component or integrated as a cross-cutting issue;
• Relevant EU services and EU Delegations, Cyber Ambassadors of EU Member States, the High-Level Working Party on Cyber Issues, and EU CCB project implementers.
The event will consist of a presentation on the report by co-authors Robert Collett and Nayia Barmpaliou followed by a Debate among expert panellists, with time for Q&A.
21 - 22 October, 2021
Kigali (Rwanda) and Online, Rwanda
African Finance Cybersecurity Conference 2021
The objective of this conference is to initiate and foster a financial sector cybersecurity community at the continental level, connected to international intelligence, enabling trusted information exchange and cooperation.
It will be held from October 21st till October 22nd at the Kigali Convention Centre (Rwanda) during the African Microfinance Week 2021. Although on-site attendance is recommended, it can also be attended remotely. Note that Covid-19 compliant sanitary measures will be strictly enforced at the conference venue in Rwanda.
The African Finance Cybersecurity Conference will consist of 2 tracks:
- Information Sharing & ACRC - Thursday 21st of October from 8.30 am – 6.00 pm & Friday 22nd from 8:30 am – 12:30 pm
- Research & Education – Thursday 21st of October from 2.00 pm – 6.00 pm & Friday 22nd from 8:30 am – 5:30 pm
Registration for On-site participation opens September 15th and closes on October 4th. Pre-registration is required for remote participation, and registration will be confirmed by ACRC.
Registration for remote participation opens September 15th and closes October 20th.
For further information, you can contact bekitah@cyber4africa.org
17 Sep, 2021
Online
Countering Cyber Threats to Critical Infrastructure: What’s Next?
September 17, 2021
12:30 PM- 1:30 PM EDT (UTC-4) Live Online
From shuttered gas stations and disrupted chemotherapy treatments to the near-poisoning of a small town’s water supply, in the past year the public felt the impact of cyber threats to critical infrastructure like never before. Fortunately, leaders in government and the private sector responded swiftly and effectively to secure the systems that underpin our daily lives. Now, looking to threats on the horizon, what progress has been made, and what work is left to be done?
Join Carnegie and the U.S. Cyberspace Solarium Commission for a conversation featuring leaders from the US government, and the energy and financial services sectors as they asses what comes next in securing domestic and global infrastructure in cyberspace.
16 - 18 November, 2021
Online
Octopus Conference
The Octopus Conference, held every 12 to 18 months by the Council of Europe, constitutes one of the biggest and finest platforms of exchange in cybercrime gathering experts from 80 countries, international organisations, private sector and academia.
This year’s Octopus Conference will take place on 16-18 November providing an opportunity for cybercrime experts from public and private sectors as well as international and non-governmental organizations from all over the world to share experience.
- A special event with high level interventions will be organized on 16 November in cooperation with the Hungarian Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Budapest Convention and the 2nd additional Protocol on enhanced cooperation and disclosure of electronic evidence.
- On 17 and 18 November, multiple workshops will punctuate the day, including regional workshops (for Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, the Pacific, Africa), “lightning talks” with interventions by participants, and other thematic sessions (Capacity building, Ransomware, AI...). A closing Plenary session will take a look at Octopus take-aways.
4 - 8 Oct, 2021
Singapore International Cyber Week (SICW) 2021
The sixth edition of SICW will take place from 4 to 8 October 2021, under the theme of “Living with COVID19 – Reimagining digital security risks and opportunities”. COVID-19 has accelerated digitalisation and resulted in a growing dependence on technology, but this has also increased our exposure to cyber attacks. While a handful of countries have started on the bumpy road to recovery, most are experiencing a resurgence in infections. Living with COVID-19 will be a prolonged reality that the global community has to come to terms with. As private and public stakeholders reposition themselves or recalibrate policies to promote digitalisation, what are the digital and cyber risks involved and how should we manage them? Amidst these risks, what are the new digital opportunities that did not exist pre-COVID-19? How can countries and organisations leverage these opportunities? These and many other questions will be tackled at SICW 2021.
Alongside the shift of business meetings towards a hybrid model, CSA will be organising SICW 2021 as a combination of inter-linked physical and virtual meetings that will allow key leaders from governments, industry, academia and non-government organisations to explore the future of cyberspace cooperation from a broader range of perspectives.
28 Sep, 2021
Online
C3SA Webinar “Identifying cyber threats and risks in SSA”
Exposure to cyberspace comes with a lot of opportunities and many dangers. Very often, members of the public have challenges identifying the threatening and the risky situations they are exposed to. The aim of this webinar is to describe and explain the main and emerging threats and risks to the lives of individual members of the public, and to suggest ways to identify an attack or a risky situation. The webinar will discuss malware, social engineering, denial of services, and intrusions; with risks ranging from, cybercrime (Fraud, privacy infringements, defacement, and vandalism) cross-border cyber-criminality, cyberterrorism, and cyberwarfare.
Through the various speaker's interventions, the session will discuss and assess key questions around cyber threats, cyber surveillance and cybercrimes in SSA such as the following:
- What are the main cyber threats to general members of the public in SSA? (In different spaces e.g., individual community member, professional, and enjoying leisure)
- What are the main cyber threats to businesses in SSA? (e.g., On-site, and Remote work, trusted professional network, etc.)
- What is the state of cyber-surveillance, cyber espionage, cyberterrorism, and cyber warfare in SSA?
- What are the most frequent cybercrimes and their impacts on SSA people, economies and countries?
The event will take place online the 28th of September at 10:00-12:00 SAST.
6 Oct, 2021
Online
Roundtable on Implementing Digital Transformation – A Case for Cyber Cooperation
The Department of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, in partnership with the Observer Research Foundation America and Research ICT Africa, are organizing a Roundtable on Implementing Digital Transformation - A Case for Cyber Cooperation on October 6 at 15:00-16:30 SAST.
This roundtable will focus on refining the understanding of the imperative of inclusive digital transformation and the concomitant security implications and risks of this transformation in Africa. Furthermore, to examine ways in which these concerns can be addressed, speakers will provide examples of initiatives related to SDG 16 and 17 (and other SDG targets) being undertaken in multilateral and multistakeholder cooperation frameworks, that are currently contributing to a more equitable, secure and stable cyberspace.
7 Oct, 2021
Online and Singapore, Singapore
GFCE Southeast Asia Regional Meeting
At the Singapore International Cyber Week (SICW) 2021, the Global Forum on Cyber Expertise (GFCE) and the Cyber Security Agency (CSA) Singapore will host the first ever GFCE Southeast Asia Regional Meeting on Thursday 7th October 2021 at 09:00 - 11:30 local Singapore time (01:00-3:30 UTC).
The inaugural GFCE Southeast Asia Regional Meeting 2021 will bring together the GFCE community and ASEAN stakeholders to identify opportunities and challenges for cyber capacity-building in the region and share good practices and knowledge. The session will discuss the cyber capacity-building landscape in Southeast Asia as well as collaborative opportunities to enhance coordinated capacity-building efforts in the region.
This is a hybrid event, with both in-person and virtual speakers and audience. Online access to this event is provided through registration on the SICW Virtual Platform.
Organisation
21 - 23 Sept, 2021
Online
The Big Cyber Ideas Festival 2021
The second edition of the Big Cyber Ideas Festival is an online event taking place September 21-23, 2021, with the purpose of exploring key questions for cyber security and digital policy in Europe.
The session topics will tackle key questions around cybersecurity journalism, public attribution of cyber operations, and global perspectives on European cyber policy, including:
- Why are cyber operations attributed to states by commercial companies, states, and international organizations such as the EU?
- How are these attributions reported and discussed in national and international media?
- And how do other states – including those at whom such accusations are directed – view European actions?
The festival is part of the European Cyber Conflict Research Initiative (ECCRI): https://eccri.eu/
6 - 8 Sept, 2021
Online
APTLD80 & Pacific Internet Governance Forum
The virtual and hybrid Pacific Internet Governance - APTLD80 forum is co- sponsored by the Pacific Chapter of the Internet Society (PICISOC) in partnership with Asia Pacific Top-Level Domain (APTLD), the UN-Internet Governance Forum Secretariat, the University of the South Pacific, Internet Society (ISOC) , Asia Pacific Network Information Centre (APNIC), Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), Internet NZ and key stakeholders across the Pacific.
8 Dec, 2021
Katowice, Poland
IGF Open Forum – Online knowledge portals for national cybersecurity capacity: challenges & opportunities
Access to knowledge and good practice is seen as one of the keys to progress cybersecurity capacity of nations. Therefore international efforts to improve cybersecurity and safety online are supported by the availability of information on national capacity data, key country documents (e.g. laws and policies), good practices, lessons learned and relevant projects available to those involved in capacity building, including governments, funders, implementers, and researchers. Several online portals such as the Cybil Knowledge Portal have been established in response to the need for easy access to this information. Their number and depth of their content grows each year with the challenge that the proliferation of these portals may make it more difficult for those leading national capacity building efforts to access and effectively use the data and information in them, especially when it might be duplicative or contradictory.
This session builds upon the session at the IGF session on 2016 “Fostering Dialogue between Internet Observatories and Maps”, and is an opportunity for the portal teams and those who use them to discuss what is working, reflect on the lessons learnt so far and discuss what should be done in the future to improve and coordinate.
30 Aug, 2021
Online
Cybersecurity and Human Rights
This event will offer an opportunity to discuss the applicability of the International Human Rights Framework in cyberspace. It will discuss the impact of digitalisation on a variety of rights, notably the right to freedom of expression and information, the right to association and assembly and the right to privacy – what have been done for their protection and why their applicability in cyberspace remains problematic. The session will also cover censorship, surveillance and the chilling effect as common breaches to human rights. The related exercises will include real-life examples emphasising the security impact these phenomena have on individuals and communities. The second part will focus on cybersecurity as a political concept and the impact that different definitions exercise on human rights. The conclusion will touch upon the state of Internet Governance, paying attention to the importance of a multistakeholder environment, and the current cybersecurity-related processes under the UN auspices.
