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Sustainable Futures: Cyber, Cities and Security

Humanity in the twenty first century is a component of a cybernetic system. Cyber is a complex and complicated socio-technical construct in which computers and humans interact in ever closer symbiosis. This is the realisation of the vision of cyber expressed in the writings of Norbert Wiener. This is the imagination of Vannevar Bush, John von Neumann and Alan Turing given form as the computers upon and within which cyber is evolving.

Given our increasing reliance upon cyber, we are now compelled to confront the pressing moral, ethical, and perhaps existential, challenges of sentient and autonomous computers inhabiting robotic form. Computers thinking, moving and acting freely amongst us.

Cyber has transformed the human relationship to information, and is beginning to transform every facet of our societies, economies and cultures. Cyber security will never again be reducible to defensive countermeasures applied to arbitrarily delineated computer networks.

As we contemplate the place of humanity in cyber and as we consider the shape of future societies it becomes ever more apparent that our conventional ways of thinking about computers, computer systems and cyber are insufficient if not redundant. We need new ways of thinking about cyber. New ways of thinking that move us beyond inherited orthodoxies and the conventional distinctions between established academic disciplines. Without new ways of thinking academics, professionals and leaders will simply perpetuate a current failure to understand cyber. More, collectively, we will also fail to confront its many challenges or to embrace its many opportunities.

Our Washington event included two sessions, a Thought Leadership Workshop designed to challenge the existing beliefs and methods of cyber security, and an International Panel Discussion which explored how the US and the UK can better work together to address the challenges and opportunities offered by of our increasingly cyber connected environment. You can find more details of both events below.


Thought Leadership Workshop

This exclusive event will brought together key experts from both the US and the UK to explore and challenge the existing beliefs and methods of cyber security.


Wednesday 18 November 2015
Venue: Johns Hopkins University (Room 600W), 1717 Massachusetts Ave. NW Suite 104,
Washington, DC 2003
9.00am
Introduction and Welcome
9.30am
Discussion 1: Cyberdoom
Cyber security proponents have presented a shifting and sometimes ambiguous case for what exactly is being threatened, and by whom, in and through cyberspace. But there have been few non-state attacks. Even state action has been unimpressive. The impact of Estonia in 2007 cyberattacks was in fact minimal. How resilient are our states and societies? Is “Cyberdoom” a journalistic fantasy?
10.45am
Break
11.15am
Discussion 2: Who should be in charge?
Should anyone be in charge? Does cyber security give the false impression of one “thing” that we can direct in a Fordist centralised, control-oriented, fortress mentality that research suggests is neither prudent nor effective. How do we achieve organic resilience by way of repair, maintenance, and modernisation of our technological systems Is better to seek decentralisation, self-organisation, economic strength, and good governance in our systems?
12.45pm
Summary and Close
1.00pm
Lunch


International Panel Discussion

Wednesday 18 November 2015
British Embassy, Washington DC

This event brought together leaders from business, government and academia from diverse but influential positions. Stimulated by brief comments from an engaging and experienced panel from the US and UK, attendees were able to contribute to the agenda setting for a new way forward.


6.00pm Registration
6.30pm Welcome address
6.45pm International Panel Discussion on ‘Sustainable Futures: Cyber, Cities and Security’
7.45pm Reception

The international panel included:

gregshannonGreg Shannon

Assistant Director for Cybersecurity Strategy, White House Office of Science & Technology Policy

Dr Greg Shannon is currently on detail to the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy as the Assistant Director for Cybersecurity Strategy.

Dr Shannon is the Chief Scientist for the CERT® Division at Carnegie Mellon University's Software Engineering Institute. Dr Shannon has recently served as the Chair of IEEE's Cybersecurity Initiative and the General Chair for the IEEE Symposium on Security & Privacy. He cofounded the Workshop on Learning from Authoritative Security Experiment Results (LASER, www.laser-workshop.org).

Prior to joining CERT, Dr Shannon was Chief Scientist at two startups working on statistical anomaly detection in sensor streams, the science of cybersecurity, and insider threats. In earlier positions, he led applied research and development in cybersecurity and data analysis at Lucent Technologies, Lumeta, Ascend Communications, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Indiana University, and his own startup company.

Dr Shannon received a BS in Computer Science from Iowa State University with minors in Mathematics, Economics, and Statistics. He earned his MS and PhD in Computer Sciences at Purdue University, on a fellowship from the Packard Foundation. He is a member of ACM and a Senior Member of IEEE.



anne
Anne C. Bader

Principal of Bader Resources, LLC and Founder, The International Cybersecurity Dialogue, USA

Anne C Bader is a Washington DC based nongovernmental executive and consultant with more than twenty five years’ experience creating practical initiatives and networks that build local capacity and sustainable security. Her particular emphasis is on creating multinational, multi-stakeholder networks in peace, security, human rights and governance for clients in governments, business and education.

A citizen of Canada and the United States, she is Principal of Bader Resources, LLC, an international consultancy in public affairs, fund raising and project management. In 2012, she founded the International Cybersecurity Dialogue to promote dialogue between policy makers and security technologists. She also serves as a Senior Associate Fellow of the Institute of Statecraft, London.

Previously, Mrs. Bader served as a Senior Research Fellow and Director, Advanced Research Assessment Group, The Defence Academy of The United Kingdom, UK. Executive Vice President, The Fund for Peace; Vice President of the Atlantic Council of the United States; Trinity College and Business Executives for National Security, US. Her memberships include the National Press Club, Women in International Security and the Board of the Hungarian American Coalition.

She received a NATO award for creating their TRUST strategic communications campaign for demilitarization and defense reform in the Former Soviet Union and was named an Honorary Citizen of Hungary for her capacity building and NATO membership work.


colinColin Williams

Director, Software Box Ltd

As both a businessman and as an academic, Professor Williams is a leading figure in the international cyber security community with twenty years of experience in enterprise IT, Information Assurance and cyber security. As a director of SBL, he develops and leads the business development strategy of a wholly UK owned and controlled market leading provider of vendor independent cyber security solutions to central government, blue light services and the wider public sector.

Professor Williams was a member of the founding cohort of CLAS consultants. He has been involved in initiating and delivering some of the largest software volume licence public sector procurement projects in the world.

As an academic, he is developing a body of work around the human, intellectual, cultural, societal and historical context of computing which he is delivering across a series of lectures, seminars and papers.

Professor Williams consults and speaks on cyber, cyber security and strategic enterprise IT procurement in the UK and internationally. He is editor in chief of “CyberTalk” and new journal for the promotion and development of fresh and interdisciplinary thinking about cyber and the human relationships with computers.


samuel
Samuel Visner

Senior Vice President and General Manager of Cybersecurity, ICF International

Samuel Visner joined ICF International in 2014 and has more than 35 years of experience in national security and cybersecurity work for the private sector and for the U.S. federal government. He is general manager for ICF's cybersecurity business.


Previously, Mr. Visner held executive leadership roles at CSC Global Cybersecurity, SAIC, and NSA.

Mr. Visner is an associate of the National Intelligence Council and serves as an advisor to the U.S. national security community. He is also a member of the Council on Technology and Innovation of the Intelligence and National Security Alliance (INSA), INSA's Executive Committee and INSA's Cyber Council.

Mr. Visner is a frequent presenter and published writer on issues related to national and global cybersecurity, and he is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University where he teaches cybersecurity policy and operations and taught previously on the effects of information technology on international security.

Mr. Visner has a master's degree in Telecommunications from George Washington University and a bachelor's degree in International Politics from Georgetown University.


Jim Ogilvie
Cyber Security Consultant

A former Senior Police Officer from the Metropolitan Police, Jim was a detective for over 20 years and was head of Cyber for UK Counter Terrorism Policing and Programme Director for a National Digital Exploitation Service.

Jim was the first UK police officer to be appointed as a technical advisor to UK Secretaries of State.

Having been a Senior Investigating Officer for Serious & Organised Crime, Counter Corruption and Counter Terrorism Investigations, Jim has been involved with some of the UK’s most high profile investigations and has a keen interest in investigation methodology and innovating cyber investigation.

Having started his working life an Automotive Engineer, Jim is now fusing interest areas and is now pursuing research into Automotive Cyber Security. Jim is founder and Managing Director of ep90group Ltd.




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