Kent Cyber Security Forum (KCSF) 2021 to explore cybercrime and online harm (28 June)

This year's Kent Cyber Security Forum (KCSF 2021), hosted by the University of Kent's newly established Institute of Cyber Security for Society (iCSS), will provide insights into staying safe online against cyber criminals, how cybercrime and cyber attacks are investigated, and how to avoid the dangers of false information online and other types of online harm.

Taking place virtually on Monday 28 June (10.00-16.00), the free event is open to all to learn more about cyber security from a diverse range of experts including researchers, practitioners, innovation experts, and policy makers.

The event will also pair as the official launch event for iCSS. The Institute was established in January this year and represents the University as one of only 19 Academic Centres of Excellence in Cyber Security Research (ACE-CSR) in the UK, as recognised by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). It is expected that KCSF 2021 will be of particular interest to those looking to learn  more about iCSS and what it has to offer, as well as those working in industry, the public sector, SMEs without dedicated cyber security teams, and higher education and research institutions.

As well as an agenda of talks and panel discussions, attendees will have the opportunity to engage directly with experts and take part in interactive sessions. The main talks and panel discussions will take place via Zoom, but attendees will also have the opportunity to create their own avatar and head over to a virtual space on the Gather.Town platform to interact, network, visit a poster area and virtual stands, and have the option to participate in some interactive sessions.

The event will be opened by Professor Karen Cox, Vice Chancellor and President of the University of Kent, before a talk from a senior speaker from the NCSC.

The day's agenda will include:

• An introduction to iCSS, given by Professor Shujun Li, Director of iCSS
• A keynote talk by Professor Julia Davidson from the University of East London, entitled Risk, Harm and Online Safety Tech: The Changing UK Landscape
• A keynote talk by Professor Sander van Linden from the University of Cambridge, entitled A Psychological Vaccine Against Misinformation
• Panel discussions to follow on from each of the keynote talks, on Cyber Crime and Digital Forensics, and False Information and Online Harm, respectively

Professor Shujun Li, Director of iCSS and Professor of Cyber Security at the University of Kent's School of Computing, said: 'We are delighted to be launching iCSS at this year's Kent Cyber Security Forum, as we look to excel our activities in interdisciplinary cyber security research and education. We look forward to welcoming participants of the event and I believe they will be able to learn more about cyber threats in the current online landscape and how to protect against them.'

Those interested can register for free now via Eventbrite. For a more detailed agenda, including bios of keynote speakers, please see our event page.