Registration

Welcome
Dr. Paul Mazerolle, President and Vice‐Chancellor of the University of New Brunswick
Dr. Ali Ghorbani, Director of the Canadian Institute for Cybersecurity

Opening Remarks
The Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs of Canada
Tricia Geddes, Deputy Minister of Public Safety Canada

Rajiv Gupta, Director, Canada Cyber Centre.

Jennifer M. Sloan, Senior Vice President Public and Stakeholder Engagement, Mastercard Canada

Elaine Hum, Director, Cybersecurity Partnerships, Scotiabank

Becoming Cyber Girl: A Cybersecurity Superhero Origin Story
Join Elaine Hum, Director of Cybersecurity Partnerships at Scotiabank, in an inspiring session as she shares her transformation into "Cyber Girl." Recognized as one of IT World's Top Women in cybersecurity in 2023, Elaine's story is one of resilience and empowerment. She provides invaluable insights and practical advice on navigating the cybersecurity industry, particularly for women seeking to overcome challenges and thrive. Prepare to be inspired and informed by her journey of dedication, skill, and passion in this dynamic field.
Don’t miss this opportunity to be captivated by Elaine’s transformation and leave equipped with the tools and mindset to forge your own superhero origin story in cybersecurity!

10:05

Break & Research Poster Session

Chris Lynam, Director General National Cybercrime Coordination Centre and Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, RCMP

Taking Public-Private Collaboration in combatting Cybercrime to the next level: Perspectives from the RCMP’s National Cybercrime Coordination Centre (NC3)
Cybercrime continues to impact Canadians on an unprecedented scale.  Innovative actions and a Whole of Society approach are the only ways Canada is going to effectively respond to cybercrime.   Chris Lynam, who leads both the National Cybercrime Centre (NC3) and Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC), will outline how these organizations have evolved their approaches in the last few years, and he will showcase some of its recent collaborative successes to reduce the impact of cybercrime on Canadians.

Paul Hanley, SVP Cyber Security, Rogers

The New World of Cyber Risk
Cybersecurity is a critical concern for all organizations, regardless of size or industry. As cyber threats continue to evolve, businesses and individuals must be proactive in assessing both current and future risks. Understanding these threats is key to building strong defenses, ensuring that sensitive data and operations remain secure.
Paul will bring this session to life by offering valuable insights into the ever-changing cybersecurity landscape. He will debunk common myths that often mislead organizations and individuals, providing clarity on what truly matters in cyber protection.
Beyond dispelling misconceptions, Paul will also deliver practical strategies to safeguard yourself and your organization against cyber threats. His expert guidance will help participants prepare for the next wave of cybersecurity challenges, equipping them with the tools and knowledge needed to stay ahead. This session is designed to be both informative and actionable, ensuring that attendees leave with a clear understanding of how to protect their digital assets effectively.

11:10

Steve Sparkes, Chief Information Security Officer, TD Bank
Pamela Simpson, AI Business Information Security Officer, TD Bank

AI's Impact on Cybersecurity
As artificial intelligence continues to transform industries, it is simultaneously reshaping the cybersecurity landscape, introducing unprecedented opportunities and complex risks. In this presentation, Steve Sparkes, Chief Information Security Officer, TD Bank will explore the implications of AI on cybersecurity strategy, defense, and threat evolution. His presentation will focus on how AI-driven tools can enhance threat detection, automate incident response, and strengthen predictive analytics. The conversation will address the growing use of AI by malicious actors to craft more sophisticated cyberattacks, including automated phishing and AI-assisted malware. Attendees will gain insight into the critical need for adaptive security frameworks, ethical AI governance, and resilient infrastructure to keep pace with evolving threats. The conversation aims to equip security leaders with actionable guidance on integrating AI responsibly while mitigating emerging risks in an increasingly intelligent threat environment.

Argyri Panezi, Canada Research Chair in Digital Information Law and Policy, University of New Brunswick

The Legal Dilemmas of Cyber-Attribution
This talk explores the complex legal challenges surrounding cyber-attribution research, with a particular focus on domestic privacy laws and international laws. Cyber-attribution - the process of assigning responsibility for (malicious) cyber activities to specific actors - relies on a combination of intelligence gathering, forensic analysis, and contextual interpretation. It is an inherently interdisciplinary and complex process that intersects with multiple legal domains, including domestic law (particularly criminal and privacy laws), international law, and political attribution. The talk seeks to clarify these legal complexities and provoke discussion on how legal frameworks can evolve to support responsible and effective cyber-attribution research.

Lunch & Research Poster Session

CIC Video

13:05

Dan A. Doran, Vice President, Business Development and Marketing, ADGA Group Consultants Inc.

Getting to Yes: Executive Leadership and Cybersecurity
In today’s threat-laden digital landscape, cybersecurity is no longer a technical concern confined to IT departments. It is a core business risk with direct implications for financial performance, reputation, and operational continuity. Yet, the conversation between cybersecurity experts and executive leadership often breaks down due to different viewpoints and languages spoken.
This session explores how the cybersecurity professionals can present their message to the executive level.  To do this, the cybersecurity practitioner needs to present in a way that seizes the executives’ attention—usually in terms of financial risk, reputational impact, regulatory exposure, brand trust, and operational resilience.
It highlights strategies for communicating the importance of technical challenges and threats into a language more readily understood at the executive level. There is no discounting the importance of the cybersecurity domain. The challenges lie in how to align the significant cybersecurity challenges into the population of other priorities and objectives that must be met for businesses to succeed.  Ultimately, the role of cybersecurity helps protect the workplace environment, the organization’s brand, and foundationally helps preserve the company’s revenues.
Attendees will gain the insights and strategies to communicate their complex challenges into business-relevant terms.  This is necessary to secure the buy-in that allows the organization to shift from a reactive to proactive posture. For the cybersecurity practitioner, it is about effectively communicating the challenges or threats to achieve the clear and concise decisions necessary to protect the organizations.

Panel Discussion - Cyber Attribution - Beyond the Breach: Challenges, Techniques, and Policy Implications
This panel's primary aim is to promote dialogue across technical, academic, and policy domains to enhance cyber defence, resilience, and accountability mechanisms. The panel members will discuss the evolving landscape of cyber attribution in response to increasingly complex and persistent cyber threats. Moving beyond the initial breach, the panellists will address the technical, operational, and legal challenges of identifying threat profiles and actors, attributing attacks with confidence, and navigating geopolitical sensitivities. The discussion will illuminate the critical needs for cyber attribution across various contexts, including national security and the protection and resilience of critical infrastructure, where the stakes are high and the consequences far-reaching. Another focus of the panel is the emerging methodologies, such as AI-assisted forensics and behavioural analytics, for policy development and deterring future threats.

• Moderator: Colin MacSween, Director General, National Cyber Security, Public Safety Canada
• Kelly Anderson, Director, International Cyber and Critical Technology Policy, Global Affairs Canada
• Ahmed Al-Rawi, Associate Professor, Simon Fraser University
• Argyri Panezi, Canada Research Chair in Digital Information Law and Policy, University of New Brunswick
• Kostia Nikola, Product Manager, Mastercard

Break & Research Poster Session

Abhay Raman, Senior Vice President and Chief Security Officer, Sun Life

Security in a Volatile World
In today’s rapidly evolving global landscape, information security faces unprecedented challenges shaped by mounting geopolitical tensions and the shifting sands of data and technology sovereignty. This talk delves into the complex interplay between nation-state interests, cross-border data flows, and the fragmented regulatory environments that organizations must navigate. As geo-political tensions rise, and international regulations intensify, security becomes both a technical and strategic imperative. Meanwhile, the emergence of transformative technologies—most notably AI and quantum computing—threatens to upend established cryptographic standards, demanding urgent adaptation and forward-thinking risk management. Compounding these challenges is a pervasive lack of information sharing between public and private sectors, leaving gaps that adversaries can exploit. This session will explore the multifaceted risks arising from these trends, offering insights into developing resilient security strategies in a volatile world. Participants will gain a nuanced understanding of how to safeguard critical assets and foster collaboration amid uncertainty and rapid technological advancement.

Igor Opushnyez, Principal Software Engineer/Architect, Mastercard
Kostia Nikola, Product Manager, Mastercard

Emerging Cybersecurity Threats
In an era defined by rapid digital transformation, the cybersecurity landscape is evolving at an unprecedented pace. This talk explores the most pressing and sophisticated emerging threats facing organizations and individuals today. From AI-driven cyberattacks and novel approaches utilizing sophisticated computational techniques, we will examine how threat actors are leveraging cutting-edge technologies to outpace traditional defenses such as perimeter security, antivirus software, bot detectors and other. Attendees will gain insights into real-world case studies, the shifting tactics of cyber adversaries, and proactive strategies for resilience. This session will equip you with the knowledge to anticipate and counter the next wave of cyber threats.

Dr. Ali Ghorbani, Director, Canadian Institute for Cybersecurity
Dr. Kwasi Boakye-Boateng, Deputy Director of Research and Training, Cyber Attribution Data Centre

Closing Remarks, Best Research Poster Awards

Closing Remarks, Best Research Poster Awards

Reception, Research Poster Viewing and Networking