Over the past five years, cybercrime around the world has grown dramatically. The COVID-19  crisis has further accelerated the growth of increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks that cause major damage and costs to all economic actors. Nation state attacks continue to escalate and civilian critical infrastructure is not off limits to attackers. 

On the battlefields of the 21st century, cyberattacks are changing the way war is waged as has been evidenced in the war in Ukraine.  Attacks on critical infrastructure, whether energy production and distribution, information systems or transportation networks, are highly disruptive. The scale of the use of cyber as a means of warfare is unprecedented.

This is a new era, and has enormous implications for international security, laws and norms, due to the unique characteristics of cyberspace. This event aims to focus on actions that need to be taken to deal with threats in cyberspace today, and in the future.

Two panels will be held on October 13 from 14:00-17:00, one focusing on the responsibilities and means to curb rampant cyber crime, the other on the importance of the cyber weapon in 21st century conflicts in light of the war in Ukraine.

*** This is an in-person event.  Due to limited capacity at the venue, registration is by invitation only.

Program 

 13:45 arrival and welcome 

 14:00 – 14:05  Welcome Remarks, Pierre Ruetschi, Executive Director, Geneva Press Club

 14:05 – 14-15 Introductory remarks, Charlotte Lindsey, Chief Public Policy Officer, CyberPeace Institute

14:15 – 15:15 How are the unique characteristics of cyberspace impacting the responsibility for protecting people against cyberattacks?  What is the role of the state and the private sector ? 

Speakers 

• Stéphane Duguin, Chief Executive Officer, CyperPeace Institute 
• Solange Ghernaouti, Director,  Swiss cybersecurity Advisory & Research Group (SCARG), Professor at Lausanne University
• Christophe Nicolas, Chief Information Officer, Kudelski Group  
• Florian Schütz, Federal Cybersecurity Delegate, Switzerland

Moderator: Pierre Ruetschi, Executive Director, Geneva Press Club 

 15:15 – 15:45: Coffee break

15:45 – 16:00: Keynote speech: Christian-Marc Lifländer, Head Cyber and Hybrid Policy Section (CHP), Emerging Security Challenges Division (ESC), NATO

16:00 – 17:00 What lessons can be learned from the use of cyber in 21st century conflicts?  

 Speakers: 

• Patricia Lewis, Research Director, Conflict, Science & Transformation, The Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House
• Nicole Perlroth, author “This Is How They Tell Me The World Ends”  
• Max Smeets, Senior Research, Center for Security Studies, ETH Zurich, Director of the European Cyber Conflict Research Initiative
• Balthasar Staehelin, Special Envoy for Foresight and Techplomacy, International Committee of the Red Cross – ICRC 
• Bastien Wanner, Senior Advisor, Cyber Defense, Swiss Armed Forces

Moderator: Imogen Foulkes, BBC, Correspondent, Geneva