Cybersecurity: technical, legal and business challenges

Digital transformation has made cybersecurity one of the main risks involved in doing business today. Increasingly complex cyberattacks can force organisations to temporarily shut down their operations, also forcing them to deal with the economic and reputational aftermath of the cyberattack, and its impact on their communication with their stakeholders (shareholders, suppliers and customers, among others). How can we protect ourselves technically and legally from these cyberattacks? How can we integrate cybersecurity into our organisation’s strategy? Is cybersecurity just a risk, or also a business opportunity? This academic competition invites CUNEF Universidad students to delve into these and other technical, legal and business challenges related to cybersecurity. To help them in this mission, two experts in cybersecurity will share their thoughts with them.

Description of the competition:

Participants will be required to submit a written or video essay, individually or in teams with a maximum of three students, analysing the technical, legal and business cybersecurity challenges faced by organisations. The essay must propose viable and realistic lines of action and be based on the content of the conferences delivered by the guest speakers, although adequate use of additional sources will be positively valued. An evaluation committee (made up of members of CUNEF faculty, of the sponsoring institution and the guest speakers) will choose the finalists. The winners will be announced during the final round-table discussion. All the finalists will be awarded a finalist certificate and an Amazon Gift Card, and the rest of the participating students will receive a participation certificate.

Guest speakers:

Ana Gómez Blanco, Corporate Security - Cybersecurity Senior Manager, BBVA.

Francisco Pérez Bes, Digital Law Partner at Ecix Group and former General Secretary of INCIBE (Spanish National Cybersecurity Institute).

Key dates:

• 17-25 October: Information campaign and registration
• 25 October: End of registration period
• 26 October, Conference by Mr Francisco Pérez Bes “A legal approach to cybersecurity: aspects of Corporate Responsibility”. (1:30 p.m., room PIR 0.13)
• 2 November, Conference by Ms Ana Gómez Blanco “We are all cybersecurity”. (1:30 p.m., room PIR 0.2)
• 7 November: Deadline for the essay
• 14 November: Announcement of finalists
• 15 November: Final round-table discussion with the participation of the guest speakers, selection of the winner and presentation of certificates. (1:30 p.m. Room PIR 0.2)

Competition rules

• Participants must submit an essay on a need or challenge related to any technical, legal and business aspect involving cybersecurity. Their topic of choice must be well-reasoned and supported by evidence of its causes and characteristics. The essay must propose specific and viable lines of action and be based on the content of the conferences delivered by the guest speakers, although adequate use of additional sources will be valued.
• The essay can be prepared individually or in teams with a maximum of three participants, who must register using the form attached to this message.
• The essay must be structured as follows: i) Introduction, clearly explaining the topic and why it was chosen; ii) Main ideas and supporting evidence; iii) Conclusion, containing the proposed lines of action.
• Participants can submit a written or video essay.
• Written essays may not exceed 500 words (excluding bibliography and appendixes) and must be sent in PDF format to: ciberseguridadcunef@cunef.edu
• Video essays may not last longer than four minutes, and must be sent in mp4 format to: ciberseguridadcunef@cunef.edu
• The evaluation committee will select the three finalist essays, and the winner will be announced during the final round-table discussion.
• To select the finalists, the committee will value idea originality, argumentation and supportive evidence, relevance to the content of the conferences, clarity, and oral or written communication style.
• All the finalists will receive a finalist certificate and an Amazon Gift Card.
• All the participants will receive a participation certificate.

Conferences:

1.  Francisco Pérez Bes- 26 October, 1:30 p.m., room PIR 0.13“A legal approach to cybersecurity: aspects of Corporate Responsibility”

Lawyer. Digital Law Partner at Ecix Group. Former General Secretary of INCIBE (Spanish National Cybersecurity Institute). Founder of the Master Degree in Cybersecurity and Digital Law in the University of León (ULE). Professor of Cybersecurity Law at Francisco de Vitoria University (UFV). Author of the Electronic Code (BOE) of Cybersecurity Law. Director of the Expert Memento on Cybersecurity (Wolters). Author of the storybook for children Tales of Cybersecurity (Tirant). Elected best cybersecurity lawyer in Spain in 2020 (Iberian Lawyer). Medal of Merit for Service to the Legal Profession awarded by the Council of Lawyers of Castilla y León (2018) for his contribution to their cybersecurity.

2.

Corporate Security - Cybersecurity Senior ManagerDegree in Computer Science from the Polytechnic University of Madrid. Master Degree in Business, Business Management and Cybersecurity (Deusto, London School of Economics, BBVA). Extensive experience in the banking sector as Information Technology Senior Manager, as well as in International Project Management, Cybersecurity, and Technical Change Management.