SPS workshop rethinks approaches to cyber security
Experts from Israel, Italy and several other NATO countries will attend the SPS-sponsored workshop “Operational Network Intelligence: Today and Tomorrow” to be held on 6-7 February 2009 in Venice, Italy. The overall purpose of the workshop is to rethink present strategies and identify urgent measures to be taken in order to minimize the strategic and economic impacts of cyber attacks.
Increasingly, organized groups of criminals and cyber terrorists seek to take advantage of modern society’s dependence on sophisticated technology in order to inflict serious damage on economies and national security. International cooperation is a vital tool against these non-state and transnational actors.
Human factor
At the same time, information systems engineers and security engineering researchers traditionally work independently, so security mechanisms are often imposed on the system without considering the overall design. This can result in problematic systems and security vulnerabilities. Currently, security is mainly regarded as a technical challenge, but other aspects should also be considered, including human and social factors.
The intention of the workshop organizers is to further the debate and stimulate ideas on topics such as the causes of cyber insecurity; the roles of the government and the private sector as security actors; the need for new laws designed to protect virtual assets as well as physical goods; and the scientific developments most likely to improve cyber security.
A book titled “Modelling Cyber Security. Approaches, Methodology, Strategies” will be published as part of the NATO Science Series after the event.
This workshop was one of 10 approved in spring 2008 through a special call for applications on topics of particular importance to NATO.