The Geneva Manual: How Do Cyber Norms Guide Us In Protecting Critical Infrastructure?

16 October 2024 (Wednesday)
Time: 10.00am to 12.00pm (GMT +8)

Description
Cyber threats targeting critical infrastructure (CI) and assets, often undetected by the victim, have become the ‘new normal’ in today’s heightened geopolitical climate. Additionally, decision-makers are concerned not only with malicious cyber activities, but also with faulty and insufficiently secure software development practices that can cause global disruptions due to interconnected supply chains.

To maintain international security and peace, do we – both state and non-state stakeholders – know what is the right thing to do to secure critical assets? How do the agreed cyber norms support operators of critical facilities and other relevant stakeholders? Which questions should actors focus on to reduce harm from cyber threats affecting CI?

Join us on 16 October to discuss these questions in the context of the Geneva Manual on Responsible Behaviour in Cyberspace, a comprehensive guide on the implementation of cyber norms and confidence-building measures (CBMs) by non-state stakeholders. The Geneva Manual was launched by the Geneva Dialogue, established by the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs and led by DiploFoundation with support of the Republic and State of Geneva, Center for Digital Trust (C4DT) at EPFL, Swisscom, and UBS. The Geneva Dialogue is a global dialogue which engages over 50 organisations and experts representing different stakeholder groups from all over the world.

The inaugural edition of the Geneva Manual focuses on the two norms related to supply chain security and responsible reporting of ICT vulnerabilities. This session will discuss the zero-draft of the new Geneva Manual chapters on critical infrastructure protection, including the actual implementation of relevant cyber norms, and thus will help collect necessary input to finalise the next chapter of the Manual.

Format
The session invites public policymakers, private sector representatives, including critical infrastructure operators, experts from the cybersecurity and cyber defence community, and compliance representatives.

Programme

15 mins	Welcome Address
40 mins	Presentation of the Geneva Manual on Responsible Behaviour in Cyberspace (7–10 mins) by DiploFoundation Roundtable: 1. How can we effectively protect critical infrastructure, facilities, and assets that have regional or international impact? What measures should be implemented, and which stakeholders need to be engaged? 2. Is it possible for cyber operations to avoid targeting critical infrastructure, or is that an unrealistic expectation? 3. How to establish accountability for harm caused by threats to critical infrastructure, especially when agreed upon norms are violated?
40 mins	Geneva Manual tabletop exercise: Defining the minimum cybersecurity measures for critical infrastructure protection (CIP)
10 mins	Conclusion: Exchange of views

Information is accurate at time of publication