At the International Digital Security Forum (IDSF) in Vienna, a global dialogue was initiated to increase the security of our digital systems
Vienna (OTS) – Digital security concerns us all! That is the most important message of this year’s “International Digital Security Forum” (IDSF), which took place on December 2nd and 3rd in Vienna – due to the corona, virtual. The security of our data and digital systems is an absolute prerequisite for being able to use the opportunities of digitization in the long term. All of our digital infrastructures, such as ubiquitous social media platforms and the video communication systems that are currently so important for the home office, but also widely used authority networks and citizen services, digitally networked factories, data infrastructures in health care, energy supply and telecommunications, right up to intelligent home control must be extremely high function reliably in a global context. And in order to be able to guarantee this, the experts called for intensive international cooperation between all parties involved.
The aim of the two-day event with the general theme “Security in times of pandemics and major global events” was to promote the exchange of information and cooperation between research, companies, administration and politics and to form partnerships for combating and minimizing damage from crises.
Politics, business, research and users at one table
The conference, which was organized by the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology and the WKÖ AUSSENWIRTSCHAFT AUSTRIA in cooperation with go-international, a joint initiative of the Federal Ministry for Digitization and Business Location and the Austrian Chamber of Commerce, brought numerous central organizations and high-ranking personalities to one table . More than 500 people from over 40 countries were welcomed as participants.
This year’s IDSF was opened by Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, who emphasized the importance of secure solutions in an increasingly digital and networked world, as well as by Federal Minister for Digitization and Business Location Margarete Schramböck and Christian Weissenburger, the head of the “Innovation and Technology” section in the Federal Ministry for Climate Protection, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology, on behalf of Federal Minister Leonore Gewessler, who emphasized the innovative strength of the Austrian research and industry location and the high relevance of the design of framework conditions for technological developments. In his keynote, Andreas Reichhardt, Section Head for Telecommunications, Security and Defense Research in the Federal Ministry for Agriculture, Regions and Tourism, represented the Austrian security research program on behalf of Federal Minister Elisabeth Köstinger and referred to the high quality and dynamism achieved in the Austrian R&D scene. At the opening of the second day of the conference, Karl Nehammer, Federal Minister of the Interior, emphasized the high level of political interest in the topic: “We want to make the digital world a pleasant and safe place: Our efforts today are vital for a prosperous, safe and democratic digital world Future, ”he said.
International patronage of the conference
The high relevance of the priorities discussed within the framework of the IDSF was welcomed by international organizations such as the UN. Vladimir Voronkov, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations Office of Counter Terrorism (UNOCT) in New York, highlighted in his speech the evolving threat scenarios that require strong multilateral cooperation in order to counter them effectively. Arne Schönbohm, President of the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) emphasized in his keynote how important it is to reach out to all international partners and to strengthen the exchange with all relevant stakeholders; Europe should act much more self-confidently and drive forward the development of global standards. Finally, the Hon.Vincent Waiswa Bagiire, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Information Communications Technology and National Guidance of Uganda, explained the importance of digitization for the social and economic development of African countries using the example of Uganda, which will transform from an agricultural country to a prosperous one by 2040 wants to create a digital state; Cyber security and international cooperation are central to this.
Discussions about cyber crime, virtual currencies and fake news
The following key issues relating to digital security were discussed in panel discussions: cybersecurity and cyber crime, secure artificial intelligence, protection against misuse of virtual currencies, effective digital platforms for crisis and disaster management, contactless biometric sensor technologies, the fight against international terrorism, and the resilience of digital infrastructures. A particular focus was on the topic of “fighting disinformation”, which has become even more explosive due to the Corona crisis: The focus was on the one hand on the importance of fake news for the social and political order and on the other hand on the new role of the media.
Europe should be a pioneer
Intensive international cooperation is necessary to combat cyber crime. “No actor in the world can currently cover all the challenges on its own. We have to cooperate, we need mechanisms, international standards and agreements as well as a common understanding of the safe use of the Internet on our globe, ”said Helmut Leopold, initiator of the IDSF and Head of Center for Digital Safety & Security at AIT. Mariana Kühnel, Deputy General Secretary of the Austrian Chamber of Commerce and co-organizer of the IDSF underlined: “It is undisputed that the coronavirus has triggered one of the greatest global economic crises and will have other unpredictable consequences. However, as a result of this crisis, digitization has also increased. This brings new opportunities for companies, but also challenges, such as cyber attacks or data leaks. And digital security isn’t just about the technology, it’s about each and every one of us. The human factor is still the most vulnerable and everyone in our new world needs to be aware of that. An interdisciplinary and international exchange on these topics is very important. The International Digital Security Forum provided a platform for this. “
Europe has a special role to play in this, emphasized Arne Schönbohm, President of the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI): “We have a lot of expertise and experience in the EU countries. It is important that we support one another with these resources and that we learn from one another, ”he said. EU initiatives, such as the Cyber Security Act of 2019, would also affect partners in Asia and North America. “We should be more confident in advocating global standardization in this area,” said the expert.
Rafal Jaczynski, CSO at Huawei CEE & Nordics, confirmed that many IT systems are not well protected against cyber attacks in practice. “Many companies started out into the digitalization ocean with cyber security canoes,” he said. He emphasized that while there is enough knowledge and technology to make secure systems, many companies and organizations do not pay enough attention to security. In addition to the application of existing technologies, research must be intensified and the transfer of research results into practice accelerated, demanded Kai Rannenberg, professor at the University of Frankfurt and coordinator of the Europe-wide competence network CyberSec4Europe. “We have to constantly acquire new skills, because a lot of knowledge is also in the hands of cyber criminals,” he said.
Global relevance of the IDSF topics
The high relevance of the global issue was shown above all by the broad participation of international authorities such as the United Nations, representatives of states and global industrial groups such as SAS and Huawei as well as international universities and research institutions.
AIT as a global provider
From November 16 to 20, 2020, on behalf of the US Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) and URS Federal Services International, the AIT conducted special cybersecurity training for the safe operation of nuclear power plants at the Training Center for Nuclear Safety (NSTC) in Almaty, Kazakhstan . Due to the current Covid situation, AIT carried out the entire training virtually. The goal was to develop both awareness and skills to develop, implement and maintain an information and cybersecurity program in a critical facility.
Women in Cyber Security
Special attention was paid to the topic of women in cybersecurity in the context of a breakout session, in which access barriers, opportunities and experiences of women in this sector were discussed. The webinar was hosted by the World Institute for Nuclear Security (WINS).
New partnerships on a global basis
The IDSF was accompanied by a virtual exhibition of Austrian and international organizations and companies such as ARGE Sicherheit und Wirtschaft of the Austrian Chamber of Commerce, ARES – Cyber Intelligence, Attingo Datenrettung, CYBERTRAP Software, Digital Factory of the FH Vorarlberg, Huemer-IT, Ikarus Security Software, KIVU Technologies, Kuratorium Secure Austria (KSÖ), Lieber Lieber Software, msg Plaut, SBA Research, Softprom Distribution, Sparx Systems Central Europe, T3K-Forensics, World Institute for Nuclear Security (WINS) and X-Net Services. The event was supported by Huawei, SAS Institute and T3K-Forensics.
On Demand Content
The exciting panel discussions will be available for registered users to review on the IDSF website in January 2021 www.idsf.io made available. Interesting photographic impressions are already available at the following link: https://idsf.io/impressions/
Inquiries & contact:
Mag. (FH) Michael W. Mürling
Marketing and Communications
AIT Austrian Institute of Technology
Center for Digital Safety & Security
T +43 (0)50550-4126
michael.muerling@ait.ac.at I www.ait.ac.at
Daniel Pepl, MAS MBA
Corporate and Marketing Communications
AIT Austrian Institute of Technology
T +43 (0)50550-4040
daniel.pepl@ait.ac.at I www.ait.ac.at
– .
