2023

CYBERSEC EUROPE | SHIELD YOUR CORE

Cyber attacks are an ever growing threat in today’s tech environment. Cybersec Europe 2023 is the platform for experienced cyber security experts as well as next-gen start-ups to share knowledge with peers for jointly coping with the cybersecurity challenges. 

Businesses and institutions of all sectors learn how to enhance cyber resilience and protect their core.

During the two day trade showl, you can follow a strong substantive program. With a mixture of best-in-class leading tech firms offering current and ground-breaking future solutions on an inspiring expo floor, experts sharing the latest in-depth strategic and technical know-how during keynotes and workshops, cross-sectoral meetings and get-togethers, we are offering a fantastic two-day exhibition & conference focusing on fighting cybercrime and boosting innovation.

The International Cybersecurity Forum is Europe’s leading event on digital security and trust issues.

Its unique feature is to bring together the entire cybersecurity and “trusted digital” ecosystem: end customers, service providers, solution providers, consultants, law enforcement and government agencies, schools and universities…

Its mission is to respond to a double urgency :

1. To face the operational challenges of cybersecurity 
   
2. To contribute to the construction of a digital future in line with European values and interests
   

The FIC is at the same time: An exhibition dedicated to meetings between end customers and solution and service providers A forum for exchange and reflection on the operational and strategic challenges of cybersecurity

2022

Inauguration Belgian Cyber Command” (Belgian Defence)

The Belgian defence department has a new service: Cyber Command that will have the task of safeguarding cybersecurity. Until now the Belgian armed forces boasted four services: the land army, the navy, the air force and the medical service. 

Today a new service has been added to tackle cyberthreats. “Technological expertise and exchange of information are crucial” says the admiral. The armed forces are considering partnerships with business that would allow workers to be employed by private companies but work for the defence department at the same time.  

Belgium’s military face the prospect of a hybrid war in which the threat is not only on the battlefield but also in cyberspace. Cyberthreats can immobilise hydroelectric plants, but cyber warfare also includes bugging and exerting influence by social media.

2021

The rules have been bent, stop-gaps brought in, product landscapes shifted, and employees given a crash course in tech adoption. For the next level, it’s time to take stock. As companies decide what’s next for the workforce, 

IT leaders need to understand how to navigate the return as smoothly as possible and build on the good work so far. Companies now have the opportunity to create ongoing efficiency and productivity, while also enabling teams to do business in new and innovative ways.

Lunch Talk #44 (2021-04): Meet Colonel Eric Freyssinet from the Gendarmerie nationale of France

Cyber Aware lunch talk #43 (2021-03)

Mercedes M Diaz Sanchez Cyber Culture (Awareness) Solution Lead and Strategy Consultant - NVISO Mercedes leads the Cyber Culture practice at NVISO, a Belgium-based cybersecurity firm. 

She helps clients to shape and run their security education and awareness programs, from 1-off events to multiyear strategy. She is an active member of the Awareness Focus Group at the Belgian Cybersecurity Coaliti

Cyber Aware lunch talk #41 (2021-01)

From contradiction to companionship between data protection and incident response. In his talk, Andrew Cormack looked at how law and incident response have come together: from the days when incident responders feared law might punish them for doing their job, to the latest £1.25M fine for not doing it. From his perspective, a future where they support each other would be even better…

2020

Cyber security for Policymakers

EU Policymaking Hub meets Connect University  (EU Learn)

Cyber Aware lunch talk #39 (2020-11)

For that autumnal Lunch Talk, The Cyber Aware Team welcomed Mr Eireann Leverett, Senior Scientist in Cyber Innovation at Airbus. 

 Mr Leverett shared his recent research on how to reduce cybersecurity risks, such as ransomware, and discussed how to quantify the risks of such attacks for global businesses and the importance of working with cyber insurers to create more collaboration with law enfor

Cyber Aware lunch talk #40 (2020-12)

For the last online lunch talk of the year, the Cyber Aware Team welcomed the members of the Cyber Aware Governance Board of the European Commission for a wrap-up on the main events, challenges and achievements that marked cybersecurity in the Commission in 2020, with a look towards the future of cybersecurity in 2021.

Cyber Aware Lunch Talk #37: Meet Aaron Cherrington, Principal Threat Intelligence Analyst at FireEye .

He is Principal Threat Intelligence Analyst at FireEye, presents the cyber implications of the COVID-19 pandemic. He explains the rise in cyberespionage operations targeting organisations that are fighting and treating the disease, as well as governments and organisations affected by the response to the pandemic. 

He also discusses the recent use of COVID-19 in information operation campaigns, especially those like the recently identified Ghostwriter, which seek to influence European audiences using falsified information. Finally, he presents predictions for the future, focusing especially on the implications of current trends in cyberespionage targeting organisations in Europe.

Are you Cyber Aware?

Get informed on cyber security risks both in your professional and personal life and find out how to best deal with them.

Speaker: Clarissa Cecchi (DIGIT) & Carlos Miguelanez Lopez (HR.DS)

Cyber Aware Lunch Talk #36 (2020-07)

The Cyber Aware Team joined forces with EUSA for the organisation of the online version of the Cyber Aware Lunch Talks. For edition 36, Saâd Kadhi, Head of CERT-EU, was invited. 

His talk “The threats they are a-changin’ – Covid-19 and the cyber threat landscape” focused on what CERT-EU does and how it is responding to COVID-19 cyber attacks and how cyber threats have evolved during the COVID-19 crisis.

This October marks the European Union’s 8th European Cyber Security Month, which brings together the EU, its Member States and European citizens, to prevent and act against cyber threats. 

Encouraging people to "Think Before U Click", 

The key goal of this year’s campaign that starts tomorrow is to ensure that citizens are aware of online risks and have the tools to become more resilient and confident users of technology.

Cyber Aware Lunch Talk #35 (2020-06): Meet Tijl Deneut, ethical hacker and expert on cybersecurity and the industry

The 4th Industrial revolution, which is also known as Industry 4.0, enables a level of connectivity between networks and devices that we have never seen before. 

But along with the widespread use of smart technology, it brings new cyber risks for which we must be prepared. From Stuxnet, the malware that manipulated the speed of centrifuges in a nuclear plant, to the hacking of a jeep with a pass

2019

Cyber Aware Lunch Talk #34 (2019-12): Meet Jan Kerkhofs & Philippe Van Linthout

A story from the cyber trenches “Hello everyone on the policy side, many greetings from the field. While everyone is discussing data retention, encryption and cross border electronic evidence gathering, crime is happening. We are the ones you count on to not drown in this sea. Allow us to present you some sense of reality and figures about what is happening. 

Let’s have an honest talk about the challenges we have to resolve together.” - Jan Kerkhofs and Philippe Van Linthout. How to catch a cybercriminal? 

The Cyber Aware team welcomes Jan Kerkhofs from the Cyber Unit of the Belgian Federal Prosecutor’s Office and Philippe Van Linthout, an Investigating Judge in Belgium, to know more about their fight against cybercrime.

Cyber Aware Lunch Talk #33 (2019-11): Meet Ioan-Cosmin Mihai, researcher, professor and Head of Department at the Romanian Police Academy

He is professor and Head of Department at the Romanian Police Academy, presents a cybersecurity study that explored and discussed how the cyberspace, characterised by lack of borders and anonymity, and explains a series of threats that are difficult to identify and counteract. 

The presentation describes the latest challenges in the field of cybersecurity, based on different official reports from law enforcement agencies and cybersecurity companies, and also analysed online threats vectors: email based attacks, web based attacks, social media based attacks, social engineering and botnets, and also offline threats, like the USB vulnerabilities and electromagnetic emanations. Mr. MIHAI is accompanied by a colleague who contributed to the study; Costel CIUCHI from the General Secretariat of the Government, Romania.

Cyber Aware Lunch Talk #32 (2020-06): Meet Pieter Danhieux, CEO of Secure Code Warrior

Beyond the first line of defence with Pieter Danhieux, Co-Founder and Chairman/CEO of Secure Code Warrior. From reaction to prevention, this Cyber Aware lunch talk is all about the challenges and pitfalls of secure coding. Often cyber incidents can be traced back to vulnerabilities in the system. These might be due to errors or deficiencies introduced at the early stage of development of the system. 

Developers thus have an important role to play in assuring the security and stability of the systems they are developing. Keeping their development skills in pace with the increasing security requirements is therefore a daily challenge for the software developers, also in the Commission. To support them, DG DIGIT offered 500 licences for the Secure Code Warrior training platform to intra-muros developpers.

Cyber Aware Lunch Talk #31 Meet Michael Aendenhof, career diplomat in charge of cyberdiplomacy policy in the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The borderless nature of the cyberspace makes us all neighbours, challenging our concepts of security and creating new possibilities for cooperation. Its disruptive potential, whether technically, economically, culturally or politically, makes it an important arena for criminal and geopolitical ambitions. 

Any self-respecting international organisation has therefore included cybersecurity on its agenda nowadays and a lot of countries have created cyberdiplomacy units within their Ministries of Foreign Affairs.

During this Lunch Talk we have an open exchange of views on the reasons why diplomacy is necessary and how it can add value to the quest for cybersecurity, conflict prevention and conflict management.

2018

Cyber Aware Lunch Talk #24 (2018-09): Meet Alexandre Pluvinage, the Head of Cybersecurity Awareness at ING

Belgium Ever wondered what goes on in the brain of a hacker? Alexander Pluvinage explains the key challenges in IT security for the end user. He presents the ING programme, ‘Hacking University,’ aimed at training people to think and act just like a hacker. 

By training people using the same techniques as hackers (with some obvious limitations) they are better prepared to face cyber risks in their day to day professional and private life.

Cyber Aware Lunch Talk #23 (2018/06): Meet Paul Timmers, former director at the Commission for Digital Society, Trust & Cybersecurity

He invites participants to reflect on the future of cyber threats, as they might experience these both in their own working environment and in society at large. A number of different scenarios for the near future of cybersecurity are considered, based on the current state of cybersecurity incidents, technological aspects and policymaking. Paul Timmers is visiting research fellow for cybersecurity policy and digital transformation at Oxford University and senior advisor at the European Policy Centre. 

Until 2017, he was director at the European Commission for Digital Society, Trust & Cybersecurity, dealing with policy, legislation and innovation in digital health & ageing, e-government, smart cities/mobility/energy, cybersecurity and digital privacy.

Cyber Aware Lunch Talk #22 (2018-08): Meet Christoph Raab, Executive Director of the Drone Alliance Europe

Without realising it, drones have become part of our daily life; they can be used simply as toys, but also as devices on critical fields, such as air traffic control and photography. 

Drones can be used to locate people in case of danger or in war fare. During this talk, we will learn more about the way drones are being used nowadays and predictions on their impact in the near future. The talk also addresses the role of drones when it comes to cybersecurity issues.

Cyber Aware Lunch Talk #21: Meet Stefano Ciminelli, Chief Information Security Officer at SWIFT

Meet the deputy Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) of SWIFT, the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication. 

SWIFT is the global provider of secure financial messaging services. Its messaging platform, products and services connect more than 11,000 banking and securities organisations, market infrastructures and corporate customers in more than 200 countries and territories.

Cyber Aware Lunch Talks #18 with Nel Broothaers from Child Focus on Safer Internet Day (2018-05)

On the 6th of February 2018 Safer Internet Day (SID) was celebrated around the world under the motto: "Create, connect and share respect: A better internet starts with you". It is a call to action to contribute to creating a better internet for everyone, in particular the youth. More than that, it is an invitation for everyone to join in and engage with others in a respectful way in order to ensur

Info Security 2018

In recent years, Infosecurity.be has proven to be the online meeting place and trade fair for IT managers and IT professionals in the field of IT security. 

Together with The Tooling Event and Storage Expotrade fairs, Infosecurity.be offers market leaders, associations, speakers and other ICT professionals the ability to offer their ideas, techniques, services and vision of the most current IT themes.

5th edition of the European Cybersecurity Month, taking place during the entire month of October 2017 across Europe, aims at raising awareness of cybersecurity threats and promoting cybersecurity among citizens and organisations through education and sharing of good practices.

ECSM is the EU’s annual awareness campaign that takes place each October across Europe. The aim is to raise awareness of cyber security threats, promote cyber security among citizens and organizations; and provide resources to protect themselves online, through education and sharing of good practices.

On 5 September 2017, Andrus Ansip, Vice-President of the EC in charge of Digital Single Market,                                                  took part in the Conference CERT-EU 2017 - The future of Cyber security in Europe. 

This video shows the introduction by Gertrud Ingestad, Director-General of the department for Informatics of the EC, the opening statement by Andrus Ansip, and the questions and answers session. Link to video