The role of private SOCs in national cyberdefense
New challenges in cyberspace, such as the artificial intelligence explosion, the Russian-Ukrainian war or the requirements of the NIS2 Directive, can only be effectively addressed if the public sector works more closely with market players, in particular security operation centres, which are a priority in European public cybersecurity policies. In practice, however, there are a number of obstacles to this cooperation, which will be briefly reviewed in this presentation, including a possible way forward.
Cyber defense is no longer an abstract topic but a reality affecting states and hospitals alike. A speaker from the University of Public Service in Hungary showed that military and cyber operations overlap and that it will not be possible without private security centers. According to him, Europe faces a decision about how quickly to join forces, share information, and make use of available funding. Since 2022, we have been watching kinetic warfare in Ukraine combined with attacks in cyberspace, including interventions in the energy sector. Recent reports confirm similar trends: the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre labeled attacks on critical infrastructure as the main risk, and in Denmark they analyzed a wave of ransomware affecting dozens of key operations. The attackers’ goal is to paralyze society and the economy, sometimes in parallel with military operations. If infrastructure is to be resilient, cyber defense must be as robust as physical defense.Cyber warfare and critical infrastructure
