Cycon 2024: Oisın Phillips

From the 28th to 31st of May, a number of CDT researchers attended the

NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence conference on Cyber

Conflict (Cycon). The conference took place in Estonia’s capital city of Tallinn,

providing an excellent setting for understanding the current state and thinking

of cyber conflict discussion.

This year's theme was “Over the Horizon” as discussions centered around the

future cyber conflict, and is sure to be beneficial in next year’s theme: “The

Next Steps”. Talks ranged from Technical, Legal, and Strategic. The conference

“Day 0” event was a day to enjoy workshops, including one workshop

conducted by Dr Michael P. Fischerkeller, Dr Emily Goldman, and Prof Richard

Harknett for the purpose of establishing a proactive cyber operational element

into NATO. Other events on this day included a workshop incorporating tabletop

game design into cyber election interference, discussions of AI, and the use

of cyber capabilities in the ongoing war in Ukraine. The day culminated with

a networking event occurring in a repurposed power plant.

The conference began the following day with introductions from Estonian President

Alar Karis, NATO Assistant General for Innovation, Hybrid and Cyber

David van Weel and US Ambassador-at-Large for Cyberspace and Digital Policy

Nathaniel Fick. Not long after completing his journey in the CDT our very

own Neil Ashdown presented in a talk concerning public-private cooperation in

cyber threat intelligence: a highly relevant topic to this years conference and

the most relevant talk of the day according to Vice Adm. Javier Roca, Spanish

Commander of Joint Cyberspace Command. High praise indeed! This followed

by an evening walking tour of Tallinn, getting an opportunity to enjoy the

highlights of the city and find optimal viewpoints for sights over the Baltic sea.

To echo the mindset of Keynote Speaker Prof Herb Lin, Cycon is a great place

to find out the current thought of those at the forefront of cyber conflict, in

academia, policy, and diplomacy. Hence, the social aspect to such a conference

is always valued. The conference organised social events, such as the aforementioned

networking event and an evening dinner preceding the final day of the

conference, along with the impromptu karaoke sessions that seem to be frequent

during this time. These all provide a great opportunity to be in the same space with 

prominent names of cyber conflict research. One moment you're speaking to Dr Max 

Smeets about the formation of a European Cyber Conflict Research Initiative, the next 

you're piloting an aerial craft through a time trial course in virtual reality.


Cycon provides a great opportunity to form connections with others that share

the same passion for research on matters of cyber conflict. Furthermore, Cycon

provides an opportunity to get immersed and acquainted with those at

the forefront of cyber conflict research; making connections that will make the

experience unforgettable, and increase the potential for collaboration in the

future.




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