Prof. Rob Black: A Leader in Cybersecurity Innovation
With a distinguished career spanning government, academia, and industry, Prof. Rob Black has been instrumental in advancing the field of cybersecurity. His work with the National Cyber Deception Laboratory and initiatives like the UK Cyber Leaders Challenge demonstrate his commitment to fostering new approaches to cyber defence.
On November 18, 2024, Digital Futures hosted a thought-provoking seminar presented by Prof. Rob Black chaired by Prof. Daniel Dresner, Academic Lead for Cyber Security. This event, part of the Digital Trust and Security Seminar Series, offered a fresh perspective on proactive cybersecurity strategies. It brought together an audience of students, academics, and professionals to explore how innovative methods, like cyber deception, can outwit attackers in the virtual domain.
Prof. Rob Black emphasised cyber deception as a proactive and layered approach to disrupting attackers. He explored the concept of weaponising trust, a critical yet exploitable element in systems, and demonstrated its practical application in cybersecurity. Prof. Black provided compelling real-world examples, such as tampering with stolen data, creating fake environments, and leveraging attacker psychology to confuse and derail adversaries.
Drawing on his extensive experience, Prof. Black highlighted innovative tactics like the FBI IDLE program, which misleads attackers with counterfeit data, and lessons from the Trans-Siberian Pipeline incident, where deceptive strategies caused significant disruption. These examples underscored how deception can effectively turn the tide in cyber defence, offering organisations a powerful tool to protect their networks and outmanoeuvre adversaries.
Prof. Rob Black highlighted research indicating that 50% of children who experience VR scenarios believe the events occurred in real life, underscoring the immersive power of VR in shaping perception and memory. This concept ties into the broader theme of cyber deception and defence, as it demonstrates how virtual environments can be leveraged to manipulate reality. Just as VR can convincingly recreate real-world scenarios, similar techniques can be applied in cybersecurity to deceive attackers, disrupt their sense-making, and guide their behavior in controlled ways.
A Call to Action: Becoming the 'In-Game Boss'
- In a compelling analogy, Prof. Black likened effective cyber defenders to "in-game bosses" in video games, formidable opponents that attackers dread facing. By adopting proactive and deceptive strategies, organisations can elevate their defence posture from passive fortification to active deterrence.
Networking Opportunities
The seminar concluded with a vibrant Q&A session, where participants engaged with Prof. Black on topics ranging from practical implementation of deception tactics to ethical considerations in cyber defence. Attendees had the opportunity to network with professionals, academics, and students, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration.
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