Cyber Security Expert Talks About Privacy, National Security, and Cyber War

Dr. Yvo Desmedt, Distinguished Professor in Computer Science at UT Dallas and a globally recognized expert in cryptography, cyber security, and cyber infrastructure protection, recently spoke at two conferences on the all-important topics of privacy and national security, respectively.

The first of these talks was given at the 2014 international Conference on Cyber Security and Privacy that brought together some 70 researchers from around the world in Rome, Italy. The conference was organized by EIT ICT Labs, one of the three Knowledge and Innovation Communities of the European Institute of Innovation & Technology, and COR.COM (Corriere Comunicazioni). Dr. Desmedt’s talk was titled “How can we maintain human rights in our Cyber Empire?” and surveyed threats against privacy originating from government and private enterprises. At the conference, Dr. Desmedt was also interviewed by COR.COM.

Private data is leaked more and more in our society. Wikileaks, Facebook, and identity theft are just three examples. Network defenses are constantly under attack from cyber criminals, organized hacktivists, and even disgruntled ex-employees.

The stakes have never been higher for organizations, In a major breach last year, hackers who investigators say are linked to North Korea stole reams of data from Sony Pictures, including internal emails, and threatened attacks on theaters showing “The Interview,” the studio’s comedy about a plot to assassinate the country’s leader, Kim Jong Un. Other major corporations such as Target Corp., Neiman Marcus Inc., and Home Depot Inc., have been hacked, along with popular social media applications such as Snapchat.

Dr. Desmedt’ second talk was at the conference arranged by the prestigious Institute for New Economic Thinking, which was attended by more than 250 people. Many Nobel laureates were also in attendance. At this conference, Dr. Desmedt gave a talk titled “Cyber War, Cyber Space: National Security and Privacy in the Global Economy” in which he examined the potential impact of cyber war and cyber security on the global economy. This topic is of great public interest, especially after the hacking incidents at SONY picture.

View Dr. Desmedt’s presentation at the 2014 International Conference on Cyber Security and Privacy

Watch Dr. Desmedt’s interview by COR.COM

Watch Dr. Desmedt’s presentation on “Cyber War, Cyber Space: National Security and Privacy in the Global Economy.”