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08 25 2023

NCI Agency supports the eighth International Cyber Security Summer School

The ICSSS is an annual event hosted in The Hague, Netherlands, and organized by The Hague Security Delta (HSD), the NATO Communications and Information (NCI) Agency, Europol, Leiden University and other supporting partners. The NCI Agency has been involved with the ICSSS since its inception in 2015, serving as a catalyst to ignite a culture of collaboration, innovation, and shared responsibility.

This year, 60 students from 19 countries attended the school to learn about careers in cyber security, the latest technological developments in the field and foster deeper collaboration with industry and other emerging cyber defenders.

The week-long experience allowed students to approach cyber security from a multi-faceted lens. Through interactive workshops, lectures and an informal networking event, students were able to learn where and how they can apply their unique technical, legal, and social perspectives to cyber in the future.

"The ICSSS is an opportunity for the NCI Agency to inspire the next generation of cyber security professionals by showing the importance and complexity of keeping NATO's networks available and NATO's information secure," explains Dr Michael Street, Chief, Exploiting Data Science & Artificial Intelligence at the NCI Agency's Chief Technology Office.

During the networking event, students engaged with NCI Agency representatives to gain insight into career prospects. Later, as part of their course, students were also able to visit the Agency's facilities in The Hague and learn more about the Agency's work in supporting communications and technology expertise to NATO.

"The students' visit to the NCI Agency's facility in The Hague, home of its cyber security research, is an opportunity for them to learn from NATO's leading cyber security experts' first-hand. In the past this experience has inspired students to join the Agency, NATO, or to join their national defence ministry and contribute to the Alliance's cyber security," Street adds.

The Summer School concluded with group presentations of culminating challenge assignments based on real cyber security scenarios. 11 ICSSS students participated in the Agency's challenge, applying their skills to protect the digital infrastructure and data of a fictitious country. Students collectively identified and understood the threat posed, and developed a proposed strategy to mitigate the risks.