COcyber Participation at "Navigating Cyber Storms: Civilian and Defence Synergy in a Digitalised World" Conference
From December 3-5, 2024, cybersecurity professionals, policymakers, and academics gathered in Constanta, Romania, for the “Navigating Cyber Storms: Civilian and Defence Synergy in a Digitalised World” conference. Organized by the Maritime Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence under the ECYBRIDGE project, the event provided a platform to discuss how civilian and defence sectors can collaborate to address Europe’s cybersecurity challenges. COcyber, funded under the same EU call as ECYBRIDGE, contributed through the insights and expertise of Prof. Georges Ataya.
Day 1: Laying the Foundation for Civilian-Defence Synergy
The first day opened with remarks from Prof. Gabriel Raicu, Rector of Constanta Maritime University, followed by the panel “The Strategic Imperative of Civilian and Defence Cybersecurity Synergy in a Digitalised Europe,” co-chaired by Georges Ataya and Dr. Niculae Iancu. The panel featured Amb. Lucian Fatu, Mr. Dan Cimpean, Amb. Timo Koster, and CDR Prof. Paul Burlacu, who discussed aligning frameworks, intelligence-sharing, and leveraging emerging technologies to strengthen cybersecurity.
Later that day, Georges Ataya participated in the panel “Shaping EU Cybersecurity Policy through Civilian and Defence Collaboration for a Resilient Digital Future,” chaired by Amb. Shota Gvineria. Joined by Dr. Gabriela Matei, Iulian Alecu, Velimir Radičević, and Assoc. Prof. Veselina Spasova, this session focused on how collaborative policy-making can address sophisticated threats by integrating civilian and defence capabilities.
Day 1 also included a keynote by Giuseppe Zuffanti on cybersecurity training and education, a presentation on CYRESRANGE Cyber Ranges Resiliency Networks by Prof. Raicu, and a session on AI-driven cybersecurity in hybrid conflict by Amb. Timo Koster. The day concluded with a panel on education’s role in cybersecurity, chaired by Prof. Cdr. Yordan Sivkov.
Day 2: Defence and Infrastructure Security
Day 2 shifted focus to defence perspectives and infrastructure security, beginning with the panel “Defence Perspectives on Strengthening Cybersecurity Synergy in the EU,” chaired by Prof. Ion Roceanu. Experts including Yavor Todorov and Elena-Daniela Hrab discussed defence strategies for cybersecurity collaboration. This was followed by “Securing Critical Infrastructure through EU Cybersecurity Synergy,” chaired by Alexandru Georgescu, with insights from Nikolaos Bardis and Maria Gurau.
The day included technology presentations on incident response and AI-based intrusion detection, followed by workshops addressing contemporary challenges, led by Valeria Popescu and Robert Șandru, and network-building across Europe, hosted by the Euro-Atlantic Resilience Centre.
Day 3: Technology Innovation and Collaboration
Day 3 focused on innovation, starting with the panel “Unifying European Technology Innovation Driven Companies, Talent and Investment for a Dynamic Cybersecurity Innovation Ecosystem,” chaired by Robert Pufan and featuring leaders like John McCarthy, CEO, Oxford Systems. Participants then explored cutting-edge solutions during live tech showcases, including quantum key distribution for secure networks. The event concluded with an interactive workshop simulating large-scale cyberattacks, providing practical experience in crisis management and coordination.
Reflecting on COcyber’s contributions, Georges Ataya remarked: “Our research activity related to Civilian-Defence synergy was amplified by the cooperation between the ECYBRIDGE and COcyber projects. This conference initiated a series of potential exchanges and collaboration opportunities.”