Innovation and Excellence: The Future of Cyber Security
Join us on Thursday 26 January for the first lecture in our Innovation and Excellence series, marking the University's fiftieth year. During this public lecture, a panel of top experts, chaired by Professor Holger Nehring, will highlight the complexity of cyber security from different perspectives: from politics, to business, to diplomacy, to computer science.
The place of technology in society: a source of good, or the bringer of doom? Your mobile does not get a signal. Your landline is not working; radio and TV are out; you try to get into the internet and your computer crashes. You are worried and want to speak to your friends: you get into the car - but the ignition is jammed. You make your way to the railway station - no trains are running. You go back home to put the kettle on - no electricity. You are in the middle of cyber war. A doomsday scenario? Perhaps, but elements of this are happening already: in November, tens of thousands of customers' accounts at Tesco Bank were compromised in a massive security breach; in April 2016, TV5, a French TV station, narrowly avoided a complete lock down following a planned cyber attack, which was purportedly carried out by the Russian security services. The discussions around WikiLeaks and Edward Snowden have shown that even governments have problems keeping their documents secure. It is impossible to ignore the digital world. But what can we do about the threats it brings?
Speakers
The keynote speaker will be Catherine Stihler, MEP, a Labour Party politician who represents Scotland in the European Parliament. She has an MA in International Relations and Geography from St Andrews, and her current portfolio concerns EU citizens and the digital economy and related financial services issues. Her 15-minute lecture will be followed by four 6-minute responses and a Q&A session.
Her fellow panellists are:
Daniela Menzky, CEO of CyNation Ltd, a cyber security company. A graduate of Hanover University, she has over 25 years of international experience working with global blue chip companies and small to medium technology enterprises.
Claire Smith, a former senior diplomat in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Her achievements include negotiating the release of British hostages with the Taliban. She is currently doing an MSc at the Said Business School, Oxford.
Sameh Aboul Enein is Professor of international security at the American University in Cairo, the Geneva Centre for Security Policy, Geneva School of Diplomacy and an honorary professor in the Division of History and Politics at Stirling. He is a member of the UNSG expert panel on cyber security and an academic advisor, Middle East faculty, NDC.
Dr Marwan Fayed is a Lecturer in Computer Science at Stirling and advises the Scottish government on cyber security issues.
Registration
This event is open to all and free to attend but places should be booked in advance.
Further Information
For further information about this event, please contact alumni@stir.ac.uk.