The fifth edition of the Swiss Cyber Security Days, held under the theme "Shaping Cyber Resilience," saw over 2,200 attendees gather in Bern for the first time. Highlighting the exponential rise of cybercrime in recent years, Program Director Nicolas Mayencourt stressed the urgent need for platforms like SCSD to address the global lack of understanding around cyberspace's impact on society: "There is a global lack of understanding of the influence cyberspace has on our society. That's why we see it as our responsibility to act as bridge builders and bring more attention to this issue."
The event featured the release of the "Switzerland’s Cyberspace: An Overview of the National Digital Public Attack Surface" report presented by Nicolas Mayencourt and Prof Dr Marc K Peter, which identified over 2.5 million potential vulnerabilities. Other notable presentations included talks by cybersecurity experts such as Robert Bohls of the FBI, and Admiral Dr. Thomas Daum from the Cyber and Information Domain Service of the Bundeswehr. Both emphasised that cybersecurity is not just a national matter but requires international cooperation to address the challenges ahead.
Natalie Silvanovich, Team Leader of Google Project Zero North America — an elite group of hackers —demonstrated how they identify and address existing vulnerabilities. Christian-Marc Lifländer, Head of Cyber Defense and Policy at NATO, provided fascinating insights into cyber warfare. Former NASA Chief Scientist Thomas Zurbuchen also addressed cybersecurity in space, highlighting that NASA and its suppliers remain targets of cyberattacks. He expressed regret over the persistent "cultural gap" between tech specialists and cyber experts, emphasising the need for an innovation-driven approach to bridge this divide.
Attendees, including Emiel Brok, SUSE Ambassador, praised the event for its networking opportunities and knowledge sharing: "The journey to Switzerland was absolutely worth it. We were able to meet various representatives from interested companies and naturally welcome the fact that open-source topics in cybersecurity are becoming increasingly relevant." Ingo Spranz, Regional Director at CrowdStrike, shared similar sentiments, stating, "We were sponsors for the first time and were able to establish valuable connections, meet clients, and also hear exciting presentations. We're already looking forward to the next edition."
Read the full article (German only): https://www.m-q.ch/de/rueckblick-scsd-2024-cyber-ist-eine-verbundsaufgabe/
