Cyber risks and international response strategies

The lecture focused on cyber risks and international response strategies. In an era of unprecedented technological transformation, AI, cloud computing, IoT, 5G, and ever-evolving digitization, we face a landscape that has brought a wave of cyber threats that demand our immediate attention.

 

This talk begin with a discussion of the Western collective response strategy to counter malicious cyber activity, highlighting the importance of global cooperation and collaboration in mitigating these threats. They explored the Estonian government's proposal for an international cyber coalition to help Ukraine address digital threats, and offered insights into how we can collectively address both current and next-generation cyber challenges that transcend borders.

 

In addition, they examined strategies to increase our agility in responding to adversaries who exploit vulnerabilities in cyberspace. In a world where the cyber battlefield knows no boundaries, it is imperative that we understand and adapt to emerging threats. Drawing on lessons learned from cyber activities in Ukraine, this presentation provided valuable real-world context and insight into the evolving landscape of cyber warfare and how nations can best protect their interests in an interconnected world.

 

 

Heli Tiirmaa-Klaar is Director of Digital Society Institute at the European School of Management and Technology in Berlin since January 2022. She was serving as Ambassador for Cyber Diplomacy and Director General for the Cyber Diplomacy Department at the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2018-2021, where she led the Estonian efforts to promote norms of responsible state behavior in cyberspace at the United Nations Security Council. Up to Fall 2018, she was working as a Head of Cyber Policy Coordination at the European External Action Service where she steered and coordinated EU external relations on cyber issues and co-led preparations of European Cyber Security Strategies since 2012. She set up EU strategic cyber dialogues with the US, India, Brazil, Japan, South Korea as well as other international organisations. She also kicked off EU global cyber capacity building programs and steered the development of the EU Cyber Diplomacy Toolbox to bolster EU response to malicious cyber activities. In 2011, she was assigned to the NATO International Staff to prepare the NATO Cyber Defence Policy.

She has been working on cyber security since 2007 when she led the development of the Estonian Cyber Security Strategy. In 2008-2010 she coordinated the implementation of the Estonian strategy, managed the National Cyber Security Council and led the establishment of Estonia’s national cyber resilience structures as well as building public-private partnerships for cyber security. In her earlier career, she held various managerial positions at the Estonian Ministry of Defence and the Tallinn University since 1995. She was a Fulbright Scholar at the George Washington University and has published in several academic journals throughout her career.