The day a cryptographically relevant quantum computer (CRQC) with enough power to crack modern encryption arrives is fast approaching. In anticipation of that threat, governments worldwide are advising agencies and commercial entities to start taking action now. Although these powerful quantum computers are not expected to  exist for another 5 to 15 years, malicious actors are already undertaking harvesting attacks – where a copy of the data transmission is kept until a CRQC is available to break the encryption keys.

The US National Institute of Standards and Technology and industry leaders are busy working on post-quantum security solutions to prevent harvesting attacks, and solutions based on open standards are already available, with more on the way. This session will address two ways of future-proofing data transmissions with post-quantum VPNs. Security and network administrators, quantum migration specialists, and key decision makers must become familiar with the options and the benefits they provide to start planning their path to a quantum-resistant world now.

Cyber resilience has become an increasingly prominent topic both in national strategies and internationally. Based on his 40 years of involvement in cybersecurity and strategy creation and implementation, the speaker will focus on questions and approaches that are likely to be important in enhancing both NATO’s cybersecurity and its operational capability. This Keynote will touch upon how and where military requirements can drive innovation, and in which areas it is more productive to leverage existing trends in technology, addressing the opportunities and challenges of AI integration and the over the horizon risks that could limit its use, and the implications of all these factors to NATO’s approach to cybersecurity.

In the presentation initial focus will be on the security assessment of the risk that our Nations must face in order to protect “cyber borders” and “physical access” (including SCADA, Operational Technology and IoT). This will be followed up by description of interesting technologies that Telsy has developed and which could be applied in several ways (Secure Microchip, Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), Quantum Key Distribution, Encryptors and Decision Intelligence).

The evolving landscape of cyber defence, characterized by the pivotal roles of cyber defence centres (CDCs) and computer emergency response teams (CERTs), presents a complex challenge to safeguarding the defence sector and nation-states against sophisticated cyber threats. This session will delve into the intricacies of automation in cyber defence, the strategic shift towards orchestration, the transformative impact of machine learning, and the art of translating potential threats into actionable intelligence through Natural Language Processing (NLP). Attendees will gain insights directly from field experiences, exploring how these technological advancements are applied in real-world scenarios to enhance cyber resilience.

Automation in Cyber Defence: How do experts balance the efficiency of automated cyber defence mechanisms with the necessity for human intuition in interpreting complex threat patterns? This question will guide our exploration of the current state of automation, shedding light on the successes and challenges faced by practitioners in leveraging automation to streamline threat detection and incident response efforts.

Orchestration as a Strategic Shift: In what ways has the transition from big data analytics to orchestration changed the game for cyber defence operations? Attendees will learn from practitioners about the integration of various cybersecurity tools through orchestration platforms, illustrating how this approach facilitates a more coordinated and agile response to cyber incidents.

Machine Learning’s Transformative Impact: How are CDCs and CERTs utilizing machine learning to proactively detect and mitigate new and evolving cyber threats, such as those posed by connected vehicles? This discussion will provide concrete examples of machine learning in action, demonstrating its capability to analyse vast datasets for pattern recognition and anomaly detection, thereby enhancing predictive cyber defence strategies. Injecting Intelligence into the Decision Process: How can the application of NLP transform unstructured threat information into structured, actionable threat-hunting strategies? The session will reveal how cyber analysts use NLP to interpret human language, extract relevant cybersecurity information, and map it onto known threat behaviours, enriching the proactive hunting capabilities of cyber defence entities and enabling leadership decision cycles concerning defence measures and/or strategies.

Microsoft

A review of the cybersecurity landscape, mapping standards, Zero Trust and how cybersecurity can be used for the defense sector.

Dr Paul Vixie is one of the pioneers of the Internet, he has made important contribution to its technical development and he has also been actively involved in various projects on improving its usability and security. In 2014 Dr Paul Vixie was inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame for work related to DNS and anti-spam technologies.