I recently returned from the Global Cybersecurity Forum Annual Meeting 2025, perhaps the most prestigious of cybersecurity conferences. This is an event populated by former and current Presidents, Prime Ministers, Sheiks, Sultans, Emirs, Princes, and delegates from the European Commission, United Nations, World Economic Forum, and countless other global bodies. And of course, it has all the pomp and grandeur one expects from a high-level event in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
This year’s focus was upon “Scaling Cohesive Advancement in Cyberspace” across the world. It was built upon the pillars of fostering better alignment, redefining cyber economics and economic cohesion, strengthening cyber inclusion, adopting a behavioral lens on cyberspace, and harnessing technological advancements to tackle fast-evolving challenges in Cyberspace.
The invite-only two day event drew delegates from all over the world to hear more than one hundred experts and thought leaders present to attendees and engage in meaningful discussions. This was my second year attending the event as a presenter, and this year led a discussion panel with fellow healthcare security and AI evangelist, Professor Attila Hertelendy from FIU on “Cyber Immunity: Strengthening Cyber Resilience for Global Health Systems.”
Much of the conference was focused upon the protection of critical national infrastructure industries like healthcare, an industry undergoing a dramatic digital transformation throughout the world and across much of the Gulf region, but especially so in the developing world. These healthcare technology-adopting nations need to embrace the lessons learned and avoid the mistakes made by Europe and America. An uptick in attacks against critical infrastructure is on the rise globally with a hugely disproportionate impact on populations when hospitals and other healthcare delivery facilities are targeted.
When the power or water grid are attacked we can revert to flashlights, candles, and bottled drinking water until services are restored. When healthcare is attacked and hospital systems go dark, patients immediately begin to suffer, with modern diagnosis, treatment, patient monitoring and management systems unable to be used. The longer these systems remain dark, the greater the probability that patients will die or be harmed by delayed or inadequate treatment. Ransomware attacks are especially heinous and lead directly to patient morbidity and mortality as we have seen in an increasing number of recent cyber attacks.
More in my interview with the Saudi Press Agency below:
