CYREN ZH

Beyond Compliance: Responsible Technology Use as a Competitive Advantage in Private Security and Beyond
2025-04-09 16:30 - 18:00 (Europe/Zurich) | Digital Society Initiative, Eventroom, Rämistrasse 69, Zürich, 8001, Schweiz
In today’s digital landscape, private security companies face unprecedented challenges balancing technological innovation with ethical considerations and human rights standards. This presentation introduces a comprehensive toolkit for responsible technology use that transforms potential risks into business opportunities.

Originally developed for the private security sector but broadly applicable across industries, our approach provides practical implementation strategies tailored to organizations of all sizes. Drawing from compelling real-world examples of technology failures that resulted in significant financial losses and reputational damage, we demonstrate how responsible technology practices not only mitigate risks but create measurable competitive advantages. Attendees will gain actionable insights into addressing key challenges including data protection, algorithmic bias, surveillance ethics, and emerging technologies while enhancing their market position through increased client trust, regulatory compliance, and operational resilience. Join us to discover how ethical technology implementation can become your organization’s strategic differentiator in an increasingly scrutinized digital environment.

Speaker at the event will be Anne-Marie Buzatu, Executive Director of the ICT4Peace Foundation.

In her role, Anne-Marie Buzatu actively leads and conducts policy research, offers strategic advice to governments and multilateral organizations, and spearheads a variety of capacity-building courses at the intersection of peace, security, and technology, with particular attention to inclusive approaches to digital peacebuilding.Before assuming her current position, Anne-Marie was Deputy Head at the Public-Private Partnerships Division of DCAF in Geneva. There, she was instrumental in developing the International Code of Conduct for Private Security Service Providers (ICoC) and its oversight body (ICoCA), establishing human rights-based standards and oversight and accountability for the private security industry. In addition to her expertise in international law and security policy, Anne-Marie has a background in the tech sector, having worked for several years as a web developer and database administrator.

The presentation is followed by a networking aperitif.

🔒 Unlocking Insights 2025: Interdisciplinary Cybersecurity Lunch Talks Series 🔒
2025-03-27 12:00 - 13:00
At this cybersecurity lunch, Dr. Benjamin Ambuehl will report from his experience in practical research with Swiss farmers and their most pressing cybersecurity challenges.

Extensive digitalisation does not stop at agriculture – and with it comes the risk of falling victim to a cyberattack which can have potentially lethal consequences for livestock. The causes of successful cyberattacks are rarely of a purely technical nature. In the majority of cases, victims’ behaviour plays a crucial role (e.g. not employing protective measures or clicking on links and opening attachments). In this talk, Dr. Benjamin Ambuehl presents exploratory research that aimed to identify weaknesses and potential mitigation options to improve cybersecurity practices among Swiss farmers.

Join our quarterly lunch series where cybersecurity researchers converge to share, discuss, and refine their work. Explore interdisciplinary perspectives, present your projects, and foster connections in this collaborative environment. Elevate your understanding and contribute to shaping the future of cybersecurity.

If you wish to contribute and present your own research please reach out to Thierry Schaltegger.

OSINT Playdate #1
2025-03-21 15:00 - 17:00 | Digital Society Initiative, Eventroom, Rämistrasse 69, Zürich, 8001, Schweiz
We’re introducing a series of OSINT playdates throughout the year. We will apply what we’ve learned and solve some puzzles together. The exercises will focus on solving, exchanging different approaches, techniques, and best practices, and of course, to meet likeminded OSINTers.

There will be easy to hard exercises, any level’s OSINTer is welcome!

The first playdate will be on the 21st of March 2025, it will be for OSINT Switzerland members and CYREN ZH students and it will be possible to attend in person only.

If you would like to attend in person, we kindly ask you to register on OSINT Switzerland’s website: https://osintswitzerland.ch/events/playdate-21-03/

If for any reason you cannot attend anymore please let us know, since seats are limited!

OSINT Switzerland: Workshop
2025-01-31 14:00 - 17:00 | Digital Society Initiative, Eventroom, Rämistrasse 69, Zürich, 8001, Schweiz
We’re happy to host OSINT Switzerland for this workshop! Read what they say about this event:

🕵🏻 In our ongoing mission to share knowledge and foster growth within the community, we’re excited to offer a new learning opportunity.🎯 What’s Happening: A practical, hands-on workshop diving into the world of Open Source Intelligence.👥 Who’s It For: Members of OSINT Switzerland and students of CYREN ZH eager to sharpen their investigative and analytical skills.📅 Date / Location: January 31st, 2025 – 14:00 to 17:00 at Rämistrasse 69, 8001 Zürich & Streamed Online👉 Register now if you want to join in person (no registration needed for the streamed event) and find more details here: https://osintswitzerland.ch/events/osint-workshop/

Hack the Box Meet Up @CYREN ZH
2025-01-23 18:00 - 22:00 | Digital Society Initiative, Eventroom, Rämistrasse 69, Zürich, 8001, Schweiz
We’re happy to host some of the Hack the Box Meet Ups Zurich!

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Read more, follow the group and register for the events here: https://www.meetup.com/hack-the-box-meetup-zurich-ch/events/305179152/

Anyone who is interested in cybersecurity and penetration testing should join this group. The purpose of the meet up is to meet other infosec enthusiasts, discuss, exchange knowledge regarding cybersecurity, hack machines from Hack The Box dedicated to this gathering and enjoy.

Cyber Lunch
2024-11-28 12:00 - 13:00
🔒 Unlocking Insights: Interdisciplinary Cybersecurity Lunch Talks Series 🔒

This event is online, no need to register!

Join on Zoom

Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence (AI) have received much attention in recent years. This talk by Jan von der Assen will introduce threat modeling and discuss how it can be applied to AI-based systems. In addition, we will summarize what we learned from securing real-world AI systems.

Join our quarterly lunch series on Zoom where cybersecurity researchers converge to share, discuss, and refine their work. Explore interdisciplinary perspectives, present your projects, and foster connections in this collaborative environment. Elevate your understanding and contribute to shaping the future of cybersecurity.

Swiss Security Awareness Day
2024-10-24 08:30 - 17:30
The Swiss Security Awareness Day, organized by Switch, aims at giving some insights into the different possible ways to deal with Security Awareness while pointing out where to get support and what is most crucial for being successful. CYRENZH‘s Melanie Knieps, Nico Ebert and Verena Zimmermann will be present at the event.

Join them at Switch’s flagship event, a crucial summit for advancing digital security awareness. Engage with industry experts in an in-depth dialogue on the vital role of security awareness in our interconnected digital landscape.

Cyber Lunch
2024-10-03 12:00 - 13:00
🔒 Unlocking Insights: Interdisciplinary Cybersecurity Lunch Talks Series 🔒

This event is online, no need to register! Join us via the button below.

Join our quarterly lunch series where cybersecurity researchers converge to share, discuss, and refine their work. Explore interdisciplinary perspectives, present your projects, and foster connections in this collaborative environment. Elevate your understanding and contribute to shaping the future of cybersecurity. Stay tuned for upcoming sessions and opportunities to engage!

The Security Operation Center is essential to a company’s security infrastructure, but the scientific literature only scratches the surface of how decisions are made within them. Thierry Schaltegger will share some insights from expert interviews to answer the following questions:

What role does the intuition of security experts play in handling cybersecurity incidents?

How can the experience of experts be passed on to newcomers?

Human Factors in Cybersecurity – Insights from Research
2024-09-11 16:00 - 19:00 | Digital Society Initiative, Eventroom, Rämistrasse 69, Zürich, 8001, Schweiz
Organized by CYREN ZH and the DSI Cybersecurity Community we’ll invite you to an event dedicated to Human Factors in Cybersecurity on 11.9. from 16:00 – 19:00 at the University of Zurich (including networking apéro).

What is cybersecure behavior and how can it be measured? How can rules of thumb help to identify phishing emails? These and many other topics are being researched by CYREN ZH in collaboration with companies and organizations.

At this event, we will present our latest findings from applied research projects on human factors in cybersecurity and look forward to lively discussions! After the presentations, we invite you to a networking aperitif.

Agenda

16:00 – 16:15 Introduction (Dr. Melanie Knieps)16:15 – 16:45 What can we learn from cyber incidents in organizations? An analysis of cyber insurance cases (Rico Müller, KESSLER & CO AG / Prof. Dr. Nico Ebert, ZHAW)What causes cyber incidents in organizations and how can they be explained? What recommendations for preventive measures can be derived for organizations? We’ll present insights from the analysis of over 90 cyber insurance cases in Switzerland.16:45 – 17:15 How do we make the right decision during cyber incidents? (Thierry Schaltegger) How do people make decisions in situations of uncertainty? What role does the intuition of security experts play in organizations that manage incidents? How can the experience of experts be passed on to newcomers?17:15 – 17:45 How to measure and change cybersecurity behavior in organizations (Dr. Benjamin Ambuehl) How can cybersecurity behavior of employees in organizations be measured? What do targeted measures to promote secure behavior look like?18:00 Networking apéro

Cyber Lunch
2024-07-11 12:00 - 13:00
🔒 Unlocking Insights: Interdisciplinary Cybersecurity Lunch Talks Series 🔒

This event is online, no need to register! Join us via the button below.

Challenges of Human-Centred Phishing Interventions / with Lorin Schöni

Phishing remains a pervasive cybersecurity threat. Since phishing relies on human actions, interventions that try to reduce phishing susceptibility should therefore also focus on human cognition and perception. While some approaches of such human-centred training are promising, research and practice reveal a variety of challenges, ranging from low engagement to a lack of comparability, and ultimately, a persistence of phishing susceptibility. We will discuss how interactivity, emerging technologies like augmented reality, and a more systematic approach using a phishing intervention framework could address these issues.

SSCC on Cyber Resilience (Webinar)
2024-06-11 13:00 - 15:00 | Online
On 11 June 2024, the Swiss Support Center for Cybersecurity (SSCC) is co-organizing a high-profile online workshop on “Cyber Resilience”. It will also feature Melanie Knieps from CYRENZH . Register here.

Stability is at the core of the healthy development of society, whether it is cultural, economical, or related to the well-being of people. In order to reach stability, society should be resilient to incidents, interference, or attacks, let them be physical or cyber. Cyber resilience is characterized by the fact that it touches upon most of the aspects of our daily lives, while they can be easily attacked, using little budgets, from any place on the globe.

Whereas cyber security aims to protect systems from cyber attacks, the objective of cyber resilience is to prevent organizations and systems from being derailed even in cases where the security of critical elements have already been compromised. Cyber resilience thus combines business continuity, information security and organizational resilience. As a result of cyber resilience, organizations and their systems are supposed to provide their services, even in cases of challenging cyber events, natural disasters, or economic crises.

On the technical side cyber resilience involves, for example, zero-trust architectures that aim to minimize trust into technical components of the infrastructure. From the organisational point-of-view cyber resilience may include disaster exercise that aim to prepare the entire organisation from the technical experts up to the management for the worst.

The goal of this webinar is to shed light on cyber resilience related aspects from different view angles. We will see technical measures that aim to improve resilience of systems themselves to more organizational measures that have the goal to absorb the impact even if technical security measures have been successfully circumvented by attackers. Our speakers cover the federal, cantonal, communal, NGOs, and academic sectors:

Melanie Knieps: “CYRENZH – On engaging students and citizens in cyber resilience”Melanie is a Senior Researcher at the “Digital Society Initiative” and CYRENZH co-lead, University of Zurich.

Monica Ratte: “How can the NCSC help me increase my resilience?”Monica works in the Swiss National Cyber Security Centre. Within NCSC she is the co-head of the Computer Emergency Response Team (GovCERT) that provides support to Swiss based organisations in case of cybersecurity related incidents.

Mathias Payer: “Why fuzz about security? How automated testing saves developer time and improves security”Mathias is a security researcher and associate professor at the EPFL school of communication sciences, leading the HexHive group. His research focuses on protecting applications in the presence of vulnerabilities.

Nicolas Frey: “Small and Medium Organisations : paving the way for effective resilience”Nicolas is the co-founder of Cyber-Safe, a Swiss auditing an labeling organisation active on the cantonal, communal and SME levels.

Fabien Leimgruber: “CyberPeace Builders: Partnering with Companies to Enhance Cyber Resilience in Nonprofits”Fabien is a senior program manager at the CyberPeace Institute. He is active mainly in the sector of NGOs.

Cyber Security in the Age of Industry 4.0
2024-05-29 08:30 - 17:00
On 29 May 2024, the ZHAW will host a conference on Cyber Security in the Age of Industry 4.0: Learning from Experience. The event offers presentations, networking and aperitifs.

Verena Distler: Mechanisms of Manipulation: How Technology Users Interact with Manipulative and Deceptive Communication
2024-05-07 12:15 - 13:45 | ETH Main Building, HG E 33.3, Rämistrasse 101, Zürich
When people use technology, they are regularly exposed to manipulative or deceptive communication, which frequently leads to behavioral outcomes with various negative consequences. Social engineering attacks, such as phishing, are an impactful example. Despite training efforts, people struggle to recognize social engineering attacks and take protective behaviors. This talk will discuss the processes that lead to adverse behavioral outcomes for individuals in the face of manipulative or deceptive communication and show how interdisciplinary approaches can provide insights into possible mitigation strategies.Verena Distler is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of the Bundeswehr Munich, Germany. Her research at the intersection of psychology, human-computer interaction, and security/privacy uses social science research methods to understand the interplay between people and technology, focusing on security-related and deceptive interactions with technology. She uses these insights to develop human-centered solutions against cyber threats. Dr. Distler earned her PhD in psychology at the University of Luxembourg, focusing on human-computer interaction and human-centered security. During her PhD, Dr. Distler was a visiting researcher at Carnegie Mellon University’s Cylab. Previously, she obtained a master’s degree in social sciences at the Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon in France.

Cyber Lunch
2024-04-18 12:00 - 13:00
🔒 Unlocking Insights: Interdisciplinary Cybersecurity Lunch Talks Series 🔒

This event is online, no need to register! Join us via the button below.

Join our quarterly lunch series where cybersecurity researchers converge to share, discuss, and refine their work. Explore interdisciplinary perspectives, present your projects, and foster connections in this collaborative environment. Elevate your understanding and contribute to shaping the future of cybersecurity.

Join us on Zoom for the first event of this series where Thierry Schaltegger presents his work challenging traditional cybersecurity paradigms. We will discuss how cognitive heuristics, often dismissed, can revolutionize cyber threat mitigation by leveraging them to enhance decision-making in uncertain cyber environments.

Promoting trust in cybersecurity through ethics and law - a conclusion
2024-03-07 16:00 - 17:30 | Digital Society Initiative, Eventroom, Rämistrasse 69, Zürich, 8001, Schweiz
For three years, researchers from the Universities of Zurich and Lausanne have been investigating the ethical, legal and social aspects of cybersecurity as part of National Research Programme 77 “Digital Transformation”. At two final events, all specialists involved in the project and other interested parties will be invited to gain an insight into the main findings of the project.

In particular, the results of interviews and a survey of critical infrastructures in Switzerland, guidelines for creating a value-based cybersecurity culture and legislative recommendations for improving the cybersecurity of critical infrastructures in Switzerland will be presented. Philipp Grabher, CISO of the Canton of Zurich (TBC), will also give a presentation on current cybersecurity measures in the Canton of Zurich. Finally, CYRENZH – the Cyber Resilience Network of the Canton of Zurich – will be presented.

The event will be bilingual (slides in German, presentations in English, podium in German). The event will be followed by an aperitif for informal discussions.

For planning purposes, registration is requested: https://ema.uzh.ch/RULEM

Date and time: Thursday, 7. March 2024, 16:00 – 17:30, followed by an Apéro

Place: Digital Society Initiative, Rämistrasse 69, 8001 Zürich

Programm:

16:00 Welcome

16:05 Sylvain Métille (University of Lausanne): A brief overview of the research project

16:15 Melanie Knieps (University of Zurich): What do critical infrastructures in Switzerland think about cybersecurity?

16:25 Markus Christen (University of Zurich): Dealing with practical dilemmas – guidelines for a values-based cybersecurity culture

16:35 Pauline Meyer (University of Lausanne): What are the gaps in the current Swiss cyber security legislation?

16:45 Melanie Knieps (Universität Zürich): The cyber resilience network of the Canton of Zurich

16:55 Philipp Grabher (TBC / CISO Kanton Zürich): How the canton of Zurich will meet the challenges of cybersecurity

17:10 Discussion with Philipp Grabher, Melanie Knieps (Moderation: Markus Christen)

17:30 Apéro

1 Year CYREN ZH - Shaping the Roadmap
2024-01-25 16:00 - 18:00 | Digital Society Initiative, Eventroom, Rämistrasse 69, Zürich, 8001, Schweiz
The mission of CYRENZH is to establish a structure that can sustainably increase the cyber resilience in the Canton of Zurich, thereby strengthening and protecting its economy and society. For that reason, we are currently working to establish a joint UZH/ZHAW “cyber clinic” which will leverage the skills of university students to increase the cyber hygiene of eligible organizations. We currently view the scope of the cyber clinics as strictly preventative and want to permanently integrate them into the respective university structures. Extending this partnership to other local partners like the ETH is also a possibility we are exploring.

Central questions we want to answer at this stage are: What services should we offer? How can cyber clinics be sustainably integrated into existing and developing curricula? Who can teach courses and supervise students? In general, what motivates stakeholders – students, prospective clients, and facilitators – to support and participate in this initiative?

How we want to do that?

To ensure sustainable engagement in the clinics, it is important to understand the needs and interests of the designated stakeholders who will be involved in the Clinics – Students (who will provide the services), Clients (who will receive services), and Facilitators (who will coordinate and manage the Clinic activities, give lectures, supervise students, and ensure overall quality control). Given the many services we could potentially offer, it is important to prioritize them based on the stakeholder input. Concretely, we want to:

Compile a comprehensive list of possible services that could be listed in the portfolio,

Get a grasp of the potential obstacles and their solution,

Determine the feasibility and impact of each service,

Learn about the skills, willingness, and motivation of the stakeholders to get involved.

Workshop

For this purpose, we will conduct a workshop in our annual CYRENZH “Shaping the Roadmap” event. It will take place on 25. January 2024 from 16:00-18:00, followed by an apéro.

Please help stop Food Waste and register until 22. January 2024.

Photo: Dream by wombo

Kenneth Paterson: Cryptography in the Wild
2023-11-23 16:30 - 18:00 | Digital Society Initiative, Eventroom, Rämistrasse 69, Zürich, 8001, Schweiz
Kenneth Paterson will discuss a research theme that has emerged in the last few years, namely the analysis of deployed cryptographic systems. In this line of work, we either try to find vulnerabilities in the system (and disclose them to the affected vendors) or prove the security of the cryptographic core of the system. He will reflect on how they conduct this kind of research, why they do it, and what we can learn from it about how developers use (and abuse) cryptography.

Kenny Paterson is a Professor of Computer Science at ETH Zurich, where he leads the Applied Cryptography Group and is currently the head of the Department of Computer Science. Prior to joining ETH in 2019, Kenny was with Hewlett-Packard Laboratories (1996-2001) and then at Royal Holloway University of London (2001-2019). Kenny was Program Chair for Eurocrypt 2011 and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Cryptology from 2017 to 2020. He co-founded the Real World Cryptography series of conferences. His research has won best paper awards at conferences including ACM CCS 2016 and 2022, IEEE S&P 2022 and 2023, NDSS 2012, CHES 2018, and IMC 2018. He was made a Fellow of the IACR in 2017. In 2022, he was the winner of the “Golden Owl” best teaching award for the Department of Computer Science at ETH.

As always: Help stop Food Waste and register until 19. November 2023!

Leveraging Games for Education - Perspectives from Cybersecurity and Sustainability
2023-11-09 16:30 - 18:00 | Digital Society Initiative, Eventroom, Rämistrasse 69, Zürich, 8001, Schweiz
Education is commonly recognized as the cornerstone for promoting awareness of critical societal issues, with cybersecurity and sustainability standing out as two prime examples. Although the significance of these challenges is broadly acknowledged, people sometimes disengage because they find them overwhelmingly complex. Fortunately, a new approach to enhancing education has emerged – the use of games! Now, the pivotal question is: What skills can games genuinely cultivate? And how effective are they in driving desired behavior change?

Join us at the “Leveraging Games for Education” event, where we’ll delve deep into the use of games for topics like cybersecurity and sustainability. Get ready for an exciting journey into the future of education! 🎮📚🌍💡

Speakers:

Mela Kocher (ZHdK)

Sonja Böckler (ZHdK)

Katja Dörlemann (SWITCH)

Of course we’ll invite you to a small apéro after the event. Help stop Food Waste and register until 8. November 2023.

How civilians can help in a crisis - New formats, new solutions?
2023-10-05 17:00 - 19:30 | Digital Society Initiative, Eventroom, Rämistrasse 69, Zürich, 8001, Schweiz
In the digital age, individuals have access to an abundance of information. While many express concerns about the risks that the internet entails, it also provides ordinary citizens access to data and social networks like never before. In theory, we no longer have to solely rely on information provided to us by governments and corporations with an agenda. A challenge is how to leverage this information. The war in Ukraine, for instance, has demonstrated how ordinary citizens can provide reliable information even before the international media does.

In the upcoming event, we will delve into questions such as (a) why the independent collection and analysis of information is important for society, (b) how members of society can be recruited for these tasks, and (c) the opportunities and challenges of volunteering, especially in the Swiss context. In collaboration with the DSI Community Democracy, DSI Community Cybersecurity, and CYRENZH, this event will discuss new formats about how civilians can help in a crisis. Our speakers are:

Lennart Maschmeyer (ETHZ, Center for Security Studies) will be talking about the need for independent data and how the Toronto-based “Citizen Lab” project has made crucial contributions towards evidence-based research on security matters since 2001.

Raphael Perret (studiozb, Truth Detectives) will delve into the potential of harnessing the skills and motivation of gamers, a community totaling more than 3 billion individuals globally, for the purpose of collecting and analyzing information.

Sigrid Haunberger (ZHAW Soziale Arbeit) will provide us with insights into the Swiss volunteering landscape.

Melanie Knieps (CYRENZH) will moderate the event, with the goal of fostering an active debate between the speakers and the audience to explore how citizens in Switzerland can leverage information in a crisis.

Raphael Perret und Anja Reiß (studiozb, Truth Detectives)

Lennart Maschmeyer (ETHZ, Center for Security Studies)

Sigrid Haunberger (ZHAW Soziale Arbeit)

Moderation: Melanie Knieps (CYRENZH)

The inputs will be from 17:00 to latest 18:30. Of course we’ll invite you to a small apéro after the event. Help stop Food Waste and register until 4. October 2023.

Sokratis Katsikas: Towards cyber-resilient critical infrastructures and societies
2023-09-20 16:00 - 20:00 | Digital Society Initiative, Eventroom, Rämistrasse 69, Zürich, 8001, Schweiz
Sokratis Katsikas from the Norwegian Center for Cybersecurity in Critical Sectors (NORCICS) will talk in his Keynote about Cybersecurity and Critical Infrastructure in Norway and Switzerland – Experiences, Insights and Perspectives From Science and Policy:

Modern societies increasingly depend on digitalized infrastructures for the delivery of essential services that support critical societal functions. The unquestionable benefits of digitalization to the economy and the society notwithstanding, the digitalization process has a significant downside: it comes with increased cybersecurity risks, that are due to the expansion of the attack surface of critical infrastructures. On the other hand, the capabilities and capacity of the threat agents, including nation-state sponsored ones, have increased multifold. Accordingly, the current cybersecurity doctrine is that digitalized infrastructures will be attacked; that some of the attacks will be successful and will need to be contained; and that some of these will even succeed to disrupt or downgrade the operation of the infrastructure and the delivery of the associated services. This leads to the motion that modern critical infrastructures should by design be cyber-resilient, so as to ensure societal cyber resilience. Cyber resilience is the ability to prevent, respond and quickly recover from events that have the potential to disrupt key societal functions, essential service delivery, or access to technology. A cyber-resilient society can spot early signals of disruption with an aim of preventing or reducing the impact on mission-critical service delivery. Achieving cyber resilience is a responsibility shared among the components of a quadruple helix, namely government, businesses, academia, and the public. Accordingly, strategies, policies, research, knowledge building, innovation and social awareness, preparedness, and capacity to contribute to cyber defense are called for. In this talk we will discuss European and national initiatives that aim at addressing these challenges.

Sokratis K. Katsikas is the Director of the Norwegian Center for Cybersecurity in Critical Sectors and Professor with the Dept. of Information Security and Communication Technology of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). His research activity has resulted in more than 300 published books; book chapters; journal papers; and papers in conference proceedings. He has led or participated in more than 60 funded national and international R&D projects. He recently joined the Greek Government as expert minister (ad interim): See article on LinkedIn

The keynote of Sokratis Katsikas is going to be followed by a conversation with Sophie Nägeli (NCSC Programme Manager and NCS Implementation Coordinator of the Swiss Confederation), moderated by PD Dr. Markus Christen (Managing Director of the DSI).

Of course we’ll invite you to an apéro riche after the event. Help stop Food Waste and register until 13. September 2023.

Sokratis Katsikas: Bilateral Meetings
2023-09-19 10:00 - 17:00 | Digital Society Initiative, Room Einstein, Rämistrasse, Zürich, 8001
Before the Keynote Event on 20. September, you have the possibility to book a 30min time slot for a bilateral meeting with Sokratis Katsikas from the Norwegian Center for Cybersecurity in Critical Sectors (NORCICS) .

Please find the available times and book a time slot on our Booking Form: Booking Form.

Sokratis K. Katsikas is the Director of the Norwegian Center for Cybersecurity in Critical Sectors and Professor with the Dept. of Information Security and Communication Technology of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). His research activity has resulted in more than 300 published books; book chapters; journal papers; and papers in conference proceedings. He has led or participated in more than 60 funded national and international R&D projects.

He recently joined the Greek Government as expert minister (ad interim): See article on LinkedIn

Bernhard Tellenbach: Cyber-Defence Campus
2023-07-06 16:30 - 18:30 | Digital Society Initiative, Eventroom, Rämistrasse 69, Zürich, 8001, Schweiz
Bernhard Tellenbach from armasuisse speaks about the Armasuisse Cyber-Defence Campus. After the keynote we invite you to a nice apéro!

Help stop Food Waste and register until 30. June 2023.

Cyber-Defence Campus: Working together to strengthen Switzerland’s cybersecurity

Cyber threats have substantially increased in recent years. To counter this growing threat, various measures were initiated in Switzerland, one of which was the establishment of the Cyber-Defence (CYD) Campus at armasuisse S+T in 2019. In this talk, Bernhard Tellenbach will first discuss what the CYD campus is , what its key tasks are, and why collaboration with academia and industry plays an important role in fulfilling our mission. To make such collaborations attractive for all parties involved, incentives and suitable instruments are needed. He will briefly present some of these instruments and take the opportunity to provide insights into some research highlights achieved with them. These include topics such as the security of electric charging, the vulnerability of substations in the power grid, or progress towards more secure communication networks and sovereign smartphones.

Bernhard Tellenbach is the head of the cyber security team of armasuisse Science and Technology’s Cyber-Defence Campus. He holds a Master (2005) and Doctor of Science (2012) degree from ETH Zurich in electrical engineering and information technologies. Before his current role, he lead the information security research group at Zurich University of Applied Sciences. Bernhard leads the Swiss Cyber Storm association, represents Switzerland in the steering committee of the European Cybersecurity Challenge coordinated by ENISA, heads the Cyber Security thematic platform of the Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences (SATW), and is a member of the Cyber Security Advisory Board of SATW.

Student Poster Session
2023-06-01 16:00 - 18:30 | Digital Society Initiative, Eventroom, Rämistrasse 69, Zürich, 8001, Schweiz
We would like to invite you for a DSI Cybersecurity Community meeting that will be combined with a poster session of computer science students of the FS23 seminar “Ethical, legal and social issues of cybersecurity” (lecturers: Markus Christen and Melanie Knieps). In the poster session, the students will present their findings related to a self-chosen topics on ethical, legal or social aspects of cybersecurity.

Community members are invited to join the session, “grill” (and inspire) our students with questions and enjoy a nice apéro!(no registration needed)

Karen Renaud
2023-05-15 16:00 - 20:00 | Digital Society Initiative, Eventroom, Rämistrasse 69, Zürich, 8001, Schweiz
We are happy to invite you and your members (please share this e-mail) to the talk by Dr. Karen Renaud (University of Strathclyde) on Human-centered cybersecurity.

About the speaker:

Dr. Renaud is a Professor in Computer and Information Sciences at University of Strathclyde. She is one of the most decorated and influential researchers in human-centred security in the context of societal and industrial use, and is engaged in various projects to improve usability by testing solutions in practical situations.

Program (15th of May):

1600-1700h: Keynote Dr. Renaud (tentative Title: Human factors as part of the solution in Cybersecurity)

1700-1715h: Q&A

1715-1800h: Panel discussion with:

Dr. Karen Renaud (University of Strathclyde)

Andrea Tribelhorn (Partner, Detecon Schweiz / Präsidentin ISACA Switzerland Chapter, Vorstandsmitglied ISSS)

Tobias Schoch (CISO und Deputy CSO, AXA Switzerland)

Leo Niedermann (Head Security Culture & Awareness, Swiss Re)

Dr. Nico Ebert (Senior Researcher/Lecturer, ZHAW School of Management and Law)

After 1800h: Apéro riche

Kick Off CYRENZH
2022-11-30 09:00 - 20:00 | Digital Society Initiative, Eventroom, Rämistrasse 69, Zürich, 8001, Schweiz
On November 30th, the Cyber Resilience Network For The Canton Of Zurich (CYRENZH) was officially launched. The mission of CYRENZH, which is one of the successful applicants of the structural call of DIZH (Digitization Initiative of Zurich Universities), is to promote #knowledge exchange and #collaboration between actors from the public and private sectors as well as civil society. CYRENZH is a a joint effort between University of Zurich, ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences and other practice partners aiming to build a network that will outlast its funding period (2022-2027).

The goal of CYRENZH is threefold: (a) to build a volunteer network, (b) to design new education programs, and (c) to stimulate interdisciplinary research. At the kick-off event, held at the Digital Society Initiative (UZH Digitalization) of the University of Zurich, keynote speaker Manuel Atug of the AG #KRITIS shared his experiences in establishing the #CyberHilfsWerk in Germany. In the morning workshop, the approximately 30 participants explored how volunteers might be deployed to increase cyber resilience in the Canton of Zurich. The afternoon workshop focused on the current situation of education and research in the Canton of Zurich: what education programs in cybersecurity already exist and what might still be missing? What research synergies exist among the participants and might these lead to new collaborations?

Thanks again to Manuel Atug and all participants for making this a very productive and delightful start into an exciting journey!
