Business programme

The Militarization of Cyberspace: How to Survive the Perfect Storm

16 Jun , 11:00–12:15
Modern Technology for Humanity: Building a Responsible Future
Pavilion G, conference hall G6
In partnership with Rostelecom

The events of 2022 have shown that digital sovereignty is one of the key factors for the survival and development of the state, society and domestic business. The existence of national controls over key information technology determines the genuine sovereignty of a country: from the ability to pay for purchases to the stability of critical information infrastructure. The rapid exit of companies and ecosystems from Russia has shown how vulnerable our cyber resilience is. Recent decades have seen the launch of a major import substitution programme, and it is in the field of cybersecurity that these processes have gone the furthest. Yet in an emergency, these efforts proved insufficient. In the face of mass attacks, not all government agencies and corporations found themselves able to repel them. There proved to be a frequent lack of elementary protections, response and recovery plans and back-up systems, and too few staff. The inevitability of this happening had been foreseen by industry experts and spoken about by regulatory authorities, but when the time came for genuine protection, much of the infrastructure and many of the decrees and recommendations proved irrelevant. Not all the programmes funded and developed by the government kicked into action at the right time. Claims by the American cyber command regarding their participation in cyber attacks carried out from within Ukraine are also alarming. What should our correct approach towards the country’s future cybersecurity be, and which conclusions can we draw from the current situation? How are we to ensure our digital sovereignty? Are we now forever destined to live in a world in which cyber conflict is the daily norm, or is there still a chance that the situation will settle down?

Moderator
Ekaterina Gordon, Head,''Gordon & Sons''; Public Figure

Panellists
Stanislav Kuznetsov, Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board, Sberbank
Igor Lyapunov, Vice President for Information Security, Rostelecom
Tatyana Matveeva, Chief, Presidential Directorate for the Development of Information and Communication Technology and Communication Infrastructure
Alexander Moiseev, Deputy General Director, Gazprom-Media Holding; General Director, Rutube
Artem Sheikin, Member of the Federation Council Committee of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on Constitutional Legislation and State Building
Aleksandr Shoitov, Deputy Minister of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation

Broadcast