Speakers and non-speakers
Speakers
The speakers of ATC will be:
The key-note speakers, trainers and Working Group Leaders – these will be renowned scholars, researchers and engineers from NATO countries with experience in NATO and IAEA training activities.
Country Rapporteurs – senior cybersecurity experts from the Partner Countries
Additionally, some of the participants will be encouraged to assist in practical exercises.
Additionally, during the Opening/Closing ceremonies - the VIPs and representatives of Georgian cybersecurity organizations will have a welcome message. During the planned visit to one of Tbilisi Critical infrastructures, the participants will be engaged in discussion with the cybersecurity practitioners
Non-speakers/Target audience
Our target audience (trainees) are
junior academic teachers, trainers or researchers (typicall from Computer Science departments),
the employees of CIs and governmental agencies responsible for their cybersecurity (typically IT engineers).
This trainees will be from Caucasus, Moldova and Ukraine. The trainees will benefit from the learned knowledge, which they may apply at their organization and by a possibility to wotk on future interesting projects, which will be created with their active participation. Last but not least they will benefit from personal links with lecturers and other trainees, which might be crucial in case of an cyberattack on their countries. During the planned visit to one of Tbilisi Critical infrastructures, the participants will be engaged in discussion with the cybersecurity practitioners.
Will the Event include online participation?
Yes, there will be speakers or non-speakers connected online.
Goals and expectations
Both Co-directors, having been involved for many years in the research, education, trainings and networking activities in EaP countries strongly believe that the progress in cybersecurity of CIs might be achieved mainly by international cooperation, mutual trust and joint projects. This ATC is not only aimed at contributing to amelioration of the concreto needs outlined in Section "Event Description", but is a continuation of earlier efforts (often funded by various NATO mechanisms) and should trigger further activities (likely NATO MYP project). This ATC stems also from the encouragement, which we got from high NATO officials during the openining and closing of ARW in Baku.
We expect that as a specific output the ATC will give participants the basic knowledge and necessary contacts to start the collaborations
In practical terms the ATC will produce the following outputs:
(1) concept of cybersecurity training, research and education activities for participating universities;
(2) concept of cybersecurity laboratories to support trainings, research and education;
(3) formation of multinational Task Forces (expert networks) to develop the implementation of the above concepts
A more general outcome is aligning the cybersecurity research and education programmes within the Eastern Partnership countries.
This ATC, through the mixture of presentations, trainings, discussions, planning and creation of expert networks and collaborating teams will contribute to:
(1) initiation of an effort in Partner countries to build own capacities;
(2) encouraging and assisting Partner countries industry (via trainees) to include the newest and most effective protection technologies;
(3) increased cybersecurity qualifications of critical infrastructures staff.
Security relevance
We believe that the proposed training programme will in long-term contribute to the increased cyber-protection of critical infrastructures (and thus security of the Partner Countries) by increasing the number of the trained staff and the level of their know-how. ATC participants will initiatiate an effort in Partner countries to build own capacities in related training, education and scientific research areas and will bring the importance of having the qualified staff and properly equipped laboratories to attention of decision makers. Cooperation with CI operators may lead to uptake of modern solutions (thus leading to immediate increase of security) and provide practical topis for research and MSc/PhD thesis.
International event, like this ATC, strengthens personal links and mutual trust among participants, which might be crucial for international support in case of an cyberattack on one of the Partner Countries.
Effective cybersecurity of Critical Infrastructures needs specialized staff and the know-how of modern detection, protection and mitigation techniques. Universities and other academic organizations may provide both the staff and the know-how, providing that they run relevant courses and have dedicated laboratories. Traditionally, universities in EaP Partner countries, educate students and conduct research in information and communication cybersecurity, with only little focus on industrial control systems, critical for the operation of critical infrastructures. Thus, increasing the focus of universities on cybersecurity of critical infrastructures is the necessary step towards their safe operation, vital for the well-being of the whole society. The proposed ATC is expected to rise among the universities, the awareness of the necessity of teaching programmes modernization, develop the concept of such
modernization, form expert networks to cooperate on related research and form Task Forces to work on implementation of modernization activities.
Supporting this activity is important for NATO for several reasons: it builds personell's know-how and skills, public awareness for cybersecurity and makes CIs more resilient. Well equipped laboratories and dedicated research activities will contribute to the increased defense capability. Last but not least it is literal realization of "Science for Peace", as the well cyber-protected CI may discourage agressors.
Impact and follow-up
We hope that this ATC will positively impact (strengthen) the collaborations of NATO Members with the NATO Partner countries in areas of cybersecure operation of CIs, by training local practitioners, scholars and researchers as well as by the introduction of the issue of CI cybersecurirty into their education systems. Both researchers and practitioners will benefit from learning more about Ukraine case and about modern AI/gamification cybersecurity methods. A created concept and rocommendations for trainings, research and education activities and supporting laboratories will enable mutually beneficial regional cooperation in cybersecurity area.
As a result of this ATC, Task Forces (expert networks) will be created, which will continue to work on creation of follow-up project.