Laurea Cyber Morning: ECHO Project presentation
Originally published on May 9, 2019
As part of the ECHO Project we organize a set of multi-actor Laurea Cyber Mornings with the aim to raise awareness around key topics of cybersecurity among higher education and provide a platform for networking with key actors and stakeholders.
The “Laurea Cyber Morning” event took place on May 9, 2019 at Laurea Leppävaara Campus. The event is part of the project ECHO (European Network of Cybersecurity centers and competence Hub for Innovation and Operations), which is a cybersecurity initiative project funded by European Union (EU). ECHO aims to establish cross-sector collaboration to strengthen cybersecurity defense and resilience in EU critical infrastructures.
Laurea University of Applied Sciences is one of the academic partners that aim to educate and train future cybersecurity specialists through research and development. The ECHO project is collaborating with its 30 and growing cross-sector partners from governments, private organizations, and academic institutions to build a resilient cybersecurity skills network.
Cyber and Hybrid Vulnerabilities: Viewpoints from Governmental Perspective
The first speaker was Mikko Vuorikoski, the director of Valtori, the Finnish ICT center that provides IT services to government agencies. Valtori also protects the government’s ICT network infrastructure to ensure the continuous availability of online services. In addition, the ICT center is also involved in decision-making that represents as the technical aspect.
The presentation revolves around the various roles and responsibilities of a government, especially the Finnish government in protecting the country and its critical infrastructure from cyber attacks.
From the lecture, I learned that governments have become an attractive target for cybercriminals because governments have a treasure trove of information that can be used for financially or politically motivated purposes. Telecommunications companies have also become a prime target, as has the energy sector. Mikko also stressed the importance of collaboration within the private sector when it comes to sharing information, as well as the need for better cybersecurity education and training across industries.
Inter-Sector Cybersecurity and Dependencies
The second presentation of Matteo Merialdo talks about the general background of the ECHO project including its goals and future plans. Matteo is the Project Manager of ECHO and he also works for RHEA Group Deference and Space.
The presentation highlighted the various cybersecurity challenges relevant to the EU in the near future, such as the call for better cybersecurity competencies to secure the EU’s digital economy, society and democracy through research and development and by investing in technologies that support such measures.
The gaps in cybersecurity that the ECHO project aims to address were also addressed in the presentation, such as the fragmentation of cybersecurity frameworks and standards and the environment that would improve security assessment between different sectors in the EU. In addition, the ECHO project also aims to develop secure systems that close the cybersecurity gap through innovative solutions, through cross-sectoral cooperation in building a federated cyber domain for penetration testing simulations, early warning systems and providing validated cases, information sharing and gathering.
Hi! Mchael here…👋
Thank you for taking the time to read ’til the end! If you have any questions, inquiries, or suggestions, feel free to drop a comment down below or get in touch with me at hello@poncardas.com or visit my website www.poncardas.com
