Cybersecuring a Country… with a Podcast

Bocconi launches a new podcast series called Cybersecurity for Public Value, addressing one of the most critical issues that governments and policymakers are facing today: how to deal with the threat of cyberattacks to protect and defend society and its essential information infrastructures thus ensuring the safe, inclusive, and sustainable well-being of individuals as well as the prosperity of organizations and institutions. The podcast is hosted by Greta Nasi, Associate Professor of Public Administration at the Department of Social and Political Sciences at Bocconi University and co-director of the Master of Science in Cyber Risk Strategy and Governance jointly offered by Bocconi University and Polytechnic of Milano with the support of Colin MacArthur, Adjunct Professor at the Department of Management and Technology.

In the first episode, "Government Cybersecurity Challenges, from Power and Sovereignty to Essential Services", Greta Nasi, assisted by Colin MacArthur, introduces the main issues regarding cyber-risks in the current situation with her guests: Roberto Baldoni (Director-General of the Italian National Cybersecurity Agency), Lorena Boix Alonso (Director for Digital Society, Trust & Cybersecurity at the European Union's DG CONNECT), Natasha Cohen (Council on Foreign Relations, New York and Washington DC); Margaret Smith (assistant professor at the US Military Academy and member of the US Army Cyber Institute), Donatella Sciuto (Vice-Rector, Polytechnic of Milan) and Stefano Zanero (co-director of the Master of Science in Cyber Risk Strategy and Governance jointly offered by Bocconi University and Polytechnic of Milano).

The podcast discusses the principles underlying cybersecurity strategies focusing on the European Union, the United States and Italy. The US speakers discuss the evolution of the US policies and changes in their focus from a purely defensive strategy to the current more proactive approach based on public and private partnerships and multilateral cooperation. The other contributors provide insight into how the EU and the Italian government are acting and the challenges ahead. Governments do not directly own most technological infrastructure at risk of cyberattacks. Yet, they need to keep track of the gaps and the inconsistencies that malicious agents may try to exploit while working to ensure that all parties involved develop the necessary understanding of the dangers resulting from not adopting appropriate countermeasures.

This podcast is part of a project made possible by a grant from the US Embassy in Italy to build a cross-national understanding of improving cybersecurity in complex, interconnected domains.

The podcast is free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and Spreaker. Other major platforms will follow.