Session 2.8e Update: Hacktivism Unleashed: The Rise of Proxy Cyber Warfare in a Digitally Transformed World
Tracks
| Wednesday, November 15, 2023 |
| 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM |
| Sutherland Theatre |
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The global threat landscape is rapidly changing as cybersecurity threats evolve into more sophisticated forms. The proliferation of ransomware groups, the complexity of cloud infrastructure, and the growth in online applications provide more opportunities for criminals than ever. Coupled with the rise of remote work due to the pandemic, information stealing and social engineering attacks have become more prevalent. Governments and organizations worldwide are heightening their defenses, while some nations are exploring the contentious domain of offensive cyber forces.
The surge in cyberattacks in 2022 can be linked to geopolitical tensions, escalating patriotic hacktivist operations, increased state-sponsored cyber espionage activities, and the global shift to digitalization. However, a new threat landscape emerged in 2023 - religiously and politically motivated hacktivist groups disrupted organizations around the globe through a surge in Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks. As their influence expands, it poses a potential threat of being co-opted as a proxy for state-controlled cyber activities.
This presentation delves into the shifting cyber threat landscape, the rise of hacktivism, and its implications on global cybersecurity strategies. It further investigates the likelihood of nation-states exploiting hacktivism as a cyber weapon and the possible onset of a new digital cold war.
Speaker/s
Mr Pascal Geenens
Threat Intelligence Director
Radware
Pascal Geenens is the Director of Threat Intelligence for Radware and leads the company’s global threat intelligence program. With more than 25 years of experience in information security and technology, Pascal has developed strong expertise in state-sponsored and nationalist cyber adversary groups. Throughout his career, Pascal has discovered several malware families, including BrickerBot, a malware designed to destroy unsecured IoT devices. Pascal’s unique perspective and insights featured in many publications and inspired audiences across the globe. He also discovered Demonbot and JenX and extensively researched Hajime and Mozi. His work and commentary are frequently quoted by media outlets, including The Register, Dark Reading, Computer Weekly, CSO Online, Cybernews, SC Magazine, Threatpost, TMCnet, and Venture Beat. Pascal contributed several chapters to the CRC Press book ‘Botnets – Architectures, Countermeasures, and Challenges.’ Before joining Radware, Pascal worked as a consulting engineer for Juniper Networks and as an engineer at IBM. Pascal holds a Master of Science degree in electrical engineering, communication, and information technology from the Free University of Brussels.
