Highlights from Cyber Polygon 2021

ISS, Steve Wozniak, INTERPOL, UNICEF and many others took part in Cyber Polygon 2021.

Cyber Polygon is an initiative by strategic digital risk management company BI.ZONE, part of Sber’s ecosystem, supports the World Economic Forum (WEF) Centre for Cybersecurity and INTERPOL.

The training event consisted of two parallel tracks: an online conference for a wide audience, which was joined by over 7 million viewers from 78 countries, and a practical segment for cybersecurity experts, which gathered 200 organisations from 48 countries.

The participants of the conference were Sberbank CEO and Chairman of the Executive Board Herman Gref, inventor and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross Peter Maurer, INTERPOL Secretary-General Jürgen Stock, President of Mastercard Europe Mark Barnett, and Deputy Governor of the Bank of Russia Alexey Zabotkin, alongside other representatives of global organisations. Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum Klaus Martin Schwab was the event’s special guest. Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Mikhail Mishustin addressed the participants. There has also been a remote interview with Russian astronauts Oleg Novitsky and Pyotr Dubrov, who joined in from the ISS.

200 organisations took part in the technical training event, including major financial and technological companies and representatives of public institutions, law enforcement agencies, telecommunications and energy organisations, and a variety of other sectors. The training focused on deflecting targeted supply chain attacks within a corporate ecosystem.

Herman Gref, CEO and Chairman of the Executive Board of Sberbank, said: “It is the second year in a row that we have gathered online to address the opportunities and challenges that technological progress makes us face. Cybersecurity is still among the most vital items on the global community’s agenda. Our world has changed, and we are adapting to this new reality. Ecosystems are a new trend for business and state, and they can be found almost anywhere. Their sustainability and resilience will be determining the safety and security of our future for years to come”.

During the event, Herman Gref and Steve Wozniak discussed safe, sustainable evolution of ecosystems. They spoke about ecosystem regulation. Wozniak believes that it should be balanced and not prohibitive. Companies have the right to earn money, but all good solutions should be based on the truth.

Stanislav Kuznetsov, Deputy Chairman of the Sberbank Executive Board, and Henrietta H. Fore, Executive Director at UNICEF, discussed fighting cyberbullying.

During the live stream with the ISS, Stanislav Kuznetsov talked to Russian astronauts who spoke about how technology helps them in their ISS work, how international space cooperation evolves, and how even astronauts encounter online scam attempts.

Other topics on the agenda were:

  • How states change through technological progress, what role business plays in it, and what measures are being taken to protect citizens around the world; 
  • The prospects and risks of digital currencies and the impact of new methods of payment on the traditional financial system; 
  • Steps that need to be taken to reinforce the international collaboration against cybercrime; 
  • Resilient supply chains; the role Interpol plays in combating global cybercrime; 
  • The role of the Red Cross in creating a safe cyberspace
  • How to protect users in the global digital space considering the interests of all parties: countries, businesses and people

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Stanislav Kuznetsov, Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board of Sberbank, said: “For the third year in a row, Cyber Polygon has united top tier speakers from government agencies and major international organisations, cybersecurity and technical experts from across the world. We have talked about the opportunities and risks of technological development, discussed digital currency security and the future of a digital state. I find it particularly important that we have also addressed the issue of protecting children in cyberspace. Our live stream has been joined by over seven million viewers from 78 countries. We all did a great job at the event. I would like to thank everyone for their contribution to our secure future”.

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Amber Donovan-Stevens

Amber is a Content Editor at Top Business Tech

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