Cybersecurity experts fill Aula Magna

Cybercampus Sverige, a collaboration between universities, institutes, agencies and companies, is organising the CyberSweden conference for the second year running.

“CyberSweden is Sweden’s national research conference on cybersecurity. The inaugural edition was held in Göteborg last year, and this year it’s coming home to us at Stockholm University. The idea is straightforward: to gather the Swedish cybersecurity community in one place. We welcome researchers, PhD students, students, government agencies and companies.”

“If you work or study in this field, you don’t want to miss these three days,” says Fredrik Blix, senior lecturer at the Department of Computer and Systems Sciences.

Leading scholars and lively pitches

He also serves on the conference committee and has been working on the programme. So what can conference participants expect?

“The conference has a packed programme from lunch to lunch: internationally leading researchers, panel discussions and fresh results from Cybercampus’s own research projects. A personal favourite of mine is the poster pitches, where around forty doctoral students and researchers each get exactly one minute on stage to sell their research. We’ll have a large clock counting down,” Fredrik Blix says with a smile.

“After the pitches, you can continue mingling with the presenters over coffee. The audience votes for the best poster, and the winner is rewarded with their own talk on the final day of the conference. We’ve also made sure there’s plenty of time for networking, with a buffet dinner on the first evening. It’s often during the breaks that the best ideas and collaborations are born.”

Cyber attackers use AI to attack faster and harder

Cybersecurity is a highly relevant topic that interests many people. Almost every day we hear about cyberattacks that have either succeeded or been prevented. The conference will provide space for broad discussions and knowledge exchange, covering everything from cyber hygiene in primary schools to the security of future 6G networks.

“AI is a recurring theme throughout the conference. Cyber attackers use AI to attack faster and harder, but we can also use AI to find and patch security vulnerabilities in our software.”

“Another major theme is that cybersecurity is no longer solely about computers. Power grids, vehicles and factories are now digitally controlled, which means that a cyberattack can have consequences in the physical world. This is a topic that Professor Dongyan Xu from Purdue University will be addressing – he leads one of the top cybersecurity centres in the US. We’ll also be hearing about Swedish resilience: the panel ‘Cyber-Resilient Sweden’ will feature, among others, John Billow, head of Sweden’s National Cybersecurity Centre, and Malin Frenning, CEO of RISE. They will discuss how to secure Sweden’s digital future.”

Critical functions are threatened

Blix notes that our modern society is built on digital systems – payments, electricity, healthcare, communications and much more.

“Cybersecurity is fundamentally a question of societal resilience – not least given the security policy situation we currently find ourselves in,” he says.

Having been part of the planning team for months, Fredrik Blix is full of anticipation. Above all, he is looking forward to the spontaneous encounters the conference will bring. Queuing for coffee can be a good thing.

“When a PhD student, a government official and a chief security officer from industry meet unexpectedly, things can happen.”

“In the programme, I'm particularly looking forward to the panel on a cyber-resilient Sweden and the poster pitches – the pace is high and you always leave with new ideas. And I must admit I’m especially proud to be welcoming everyone to Aula Magna. It feels special to have the whole industry and research community here at Stockholm University.”

Blix highlights three practical points for anyone considering registering:

“The entire conference will be conducted in English. Seats are limited. And registration closes on 30 August – so don’t wait too long! As a student, you can attend at half price, and I’d really encourage people to take advantage of that. CyberSweden is a golden opportunity to spend three days getting to know both the research frontier and the industry. Additional speakers will also be announced on a rolling basis up until the conference begins, so it’s worth keeping an eye on the website,” says Fredrik Blix.

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Text: Åse Karlén