Plenary session of the day

Session of the Apparatus of the Government of the Russian Federation

Digital fraud has firmly established itself as a leading concern in modern business. The arms race in information security is accelerating exponentially. Hackers are refining their methods, utilizing artificial intelligence, social engineering, and vulnerabilities in digital systems, requiring companies to maintain constant vigilance and update protective measures.

Major market players are actively investing in developments and acquiring exclusive solutions from leading Russian vendors, enabling them to identify cyber threats at the earliest stages. However, a troubling aspect is the inequality in access to protection tools: while large and wealthy companies can afford the latest cybersecurity technologies, small businesses often remain vulnerable to fraudsters’ attacks.

Unprotected small businesses become a “springboard” for further criminal activities when the compromise of one company opens access to the networks of partners and suppliers, facilitating a chain of attacks across the business landscape.

What needs to be done in this situation? How can we ensure a uniform level of protection for the entire market, not just for the privileged few?

In 1988, the first Morris worm appeared, causing an estimated $96.5 million in damages. The damage from the Guinness World Record-holding ILOVEYOU worm of 2000 was estimated at $15 billion.

The threat landscape is becoming more complex each year, with cybercriminals employing increasingly sophisticated techniques and tactics, including the use of artificial intelligence. Security tools themselves are becoming attractive targets for cybercriminals.

According to a Gartner survey conducted between August and October 2024 among 162 large enterprises, organizations use an average of 45 cybersecurity tools. Data from UpperCase (generated using AI) indicates that organizations manage an average of 83 different solutions from 29 vendors.

With thousands of cybersecurity vendors, companies need to optimize their systems to create more effective and efficient security platforms.

More than half (52%) of surveyed executives believe that fragmented solutions limit their ability to respond effectively to threats.

One possible approach is the transition to security platformization. Integrating various technologies, including cloud solutions and artificial intelligence, is considered key to successful protection.

Experts note drawbacks of platformization in cybersecurity, such as vendor lock-in and innovation stagnation, and discuss the advantages of a modular approach, which offers flexibility in choosing solutions, easier adaptation to emerging threats and new technologies, and reduced risks of single points of failure.

During the discussion, participants will examine the pros and cons of platformization in information security and answer the question: what is needed for platformization to work in cybersecurity?

• How has the threat landscape changed recently, and what are the key trends in cyberattacks?
• What challenges do major companies face in ensuring security?
• What are the expectations from vendors in cybersecurity?
• What criteria should an ideal security platform meet? What principles should it be built upon?
• Are companies facing attacks on security tools?
• In which areas of information security do domestic solutions compete with and surpass foreign counterparts?
• Which domestic solution classes require more attention from software developers?

At the beginning of 2025, Russian businesses faced an unprecedented surge in cyberattacks. Compared to 2023, the number of information security incidents in 2024 increased by 2.5 times. Most of these attacks targeted critical infrastructure, especially in the industrial sector.

The geopolitical landscape is changing the cyber threat environment: alongside traditional cybercriminals, politically motivated hacktivist groups have become more active. Unlike classic hackers, these criminals aim to cause maximum damage to critical infrastructure and organizations.

To prevent attacks, businesses face several challenges: a shortage of qualified personnel and the need to respond to cyber incidents promptly. The issue of replacing foreign vendors remains sensitive—completely substituting foreign solutions overnight has proven difficult, as domestic alternatives in some segments are costly and insufficiently mature.

In such conditions, proactive cyber defense becomes paramount—the ability to anticipate attacks and prevent them before they cause harm. How do businesses overcome these challenges and shift from reactive defense to proactive measures? How can cyber threats be identified, and resources and new solutions found?

• Which cyberattacks dominate in 2025?
• How has the format of cyberattacks on businesses changed over the past year?
• What is the role of artificial intelligence and machine learning in protecting against modern threats?
• Which tools and practices are effective in predictive cyber defense?
• How do companies build personnel policies in information security under new conditions?

Several studies on Russian citizens’ attitudes toward cybersecurity indicate that people are seriously concerned about their digital safety. Amid the growing number of cyber threats, companies that can demonstrate a high level of security gain significant advantages in the eyes of customers.

Session participants will discuss the role of cybersecurity in manufacturing and industrial companies, its contribution to forming competitive advantages, and for which categories of industrial products it has the most significant impact.

Experts will also discuss the economics of cyber risks, a risk-oriented approach to creating comprehensive cybersecurity architecture, and how to implement it in practice, considering the requirements for cyber resilience and digital maturity of partners, contractors, subsidiaries, and acquired assets.

At the end of the session, participants will develop a checklist of key cybersecurity areas that should be monitored by the company’s top management to ensure business resilience and enhance competitive advantages.

The scale of phone fraud, phishing, and social engineering continues to grow each year. Phrases like “this is a financial security specialist from your bank” or “a loan application has been submitted in your name” have become commonplace in our daily lives. Is this normal? Of course not.

While we have learned to combat typical fraud schemes and continue to make every effort to eliminate them through joint efforts of business and government, fraudsters continue to invent increasingly new and creative ways to steal money and information from citizens and businesses.

• Think like a cybercriminal, act like an information security specialist: what new initiatives should be developed and implemented to improve the digital literacy of Russian citizens?
• Bad advice for those who want to give all their savings to fraudsters.
• Real cases of fraud using information technology and ways to prevent them.
• A foggy future: what awaits us in the next 10 years if citizens and businesses do not start improving their digital literacy?
• Call me, call me, call me for God’s sake. A heart-to-heart conversation with a phone fraudster live at CIPR Black.

A new trend in 2025 is the export of Russian cybersecurity technologies. This is due not only to the proactive stance of our developers in the field of cybersecurity but also to the development of trade relations with countries in the Middle East and Southeast Asia.

In these regions, there is already a demand for Russian experience in creating SOC centers, cybersecurity service models, solutions in network security, access management, secure development, cyber exercises, and cyber ranges. According to the Ministry of Digital Development, cybersecurity is becoming one of the key non-resource areas of Russian exports.

What are the prospects for the international development of the industry?

After a wave of cyberattacks in recent years, there is a growing awareness of the reality of cyber threats and the fragility of business digital infrastructure. Cybersecurity is no longer seen by companies as just an IT add-on or a regulatory obligation.
The new digital reality and rapidly advancing technologies demand not only higher standards of cybersecurity, but also new competencies from cybersecurity specialists. As a result, there is a growing need for regular upskilling.
How do you build an effective team to minimize cyber risks in a changing environment? How do you calculate ROI on cybersecurity training?
Discussion topics:

• How does demand compare to supply in the cybersecurity labor market? Who are Russian companies looking for but struggling to find?
• What will employers expect from cybersecurity professionals in two, three, or five years?
• After the great cyberstorm: what skills will cybersecurity professionals need in the new geopolitical climate? Should we expect a calm after the storm at all?
• How can companies avoid a skill gap between staff and the fast-changing digital world? Is continuous learning feasible?
• How do you calculate a budget for the ideal cybersecurity team and evaluate whether ongoing training costs are proportionate?

Industrial safety is a strategically important direction in national policy that ensures the country’s technological sovereignty. Rostechnadzor is responsible for ensuring technological safety in the interest of society and the state.
Across all industries, the need to raise safety levels in technological processes and maintain uninterrupted operation of critical infrastructure is growing. Metrics such as accident and injury rates have so far seen a steady decline—mainly due to long-standing industrial practices and Rostechnadzor’s systematic oversight.
However, the evolution of technology and external threats to critical infrastructure require new tools. Recent events such as floods and heating system failures reflect troubling trends.
Production equipment, technical devices, and software still heavily depend on foreign suppliers, and replacing them with alternatives or grey imports affects the reliability of these complex systems.
A timely solution is the introduction of a dedicated industrial safety digitalization unit.

According to the Russian Ministry of Digital Development, domestic cybersecurity solutions account for 91% of the market. The growth has been driven largely by the public sector and large corporations adopting Russian products. At the same time, digital transformation is also advancing in small and medium-sized businesses, which process confidential information and customer data.
How secure is the IT infrastructure of the SME segment? What steps are SMEs taking to boost cybersecurity? Can entrepreneurs fully comply with security regulations? What solutions can cybersecurity vendors offer to this segment?
Discussion topics:

• Current cybersecurity risks for SMEs
• Maturity of IT infrastructure in small and medium-sized businesses
• Navigating the maze of cybersecurity regulations
• Key technical and organizational measures to improve protection
• Government support measures and incentives

Growing cyber threats require companies to take a systemic approach to protecting infrastructure and data—especially large, strategic enterprises with complex, distributed infrastructure and millions of users. There is no single vendor in Russia today that can meet all of a large company’s cybersecurity needs.
The answer lies in cross-sector cooperation and vendor partnerships. But stitching together a workable system from multiple approaches and technologies is no easy task.
Session participants will share their experience building such a system in collaboration with Russian Post. They will discuss strategies for comprehensive cybersecurity, how to build a security architecture, how to divide responsibilities among vendors, how to assess the resulting infrastructure, and more.

White hat hackers are changing cybersecurity, business, and society. No longer a subculture, they are now a key part of the digital economy. Their contributions to the security of IT products, banks, digital services, and government platforms have become strategic: bug bounty programs and cyber testing are now essential parts of cybersecurity strategy for companies ranging from SMEs to industrial giants. Regulators are also taking notice.
Companies that learn to work with ethical hackers gain several advantages: lower security costs through targeted vulnerability discovery, improved protection, greater trust from clients and investors, and valuable external perspectives.
Still, many companies are unsure how to engage safely and productively with hackers. Who are white hat hackers, really? Why should they be trusted? How can companies avoid reputational and legal risks? Where is the line between ethical researcher and potential threat?
This session is not just about cybersecurity—it’s about the people who increasingly determine the resilience of our digital infrastructure in the 21st century.

You walk down the street, and an invisible thread follows you. Every step, every word, every glance is recorded and analyzed. This is not a scene from a sci-fi movie—it’s the reality of our digital world, where your “digital shadow” grows longer and denser.
Governments and corporations use our data as tools of control. Location tracking, behavioral analytics, data leaks—all contribute to a world where privacy is becoming a luxury available only to the few.
But there are those fighting back. Technologies like blockchain and decentralized networks offer new ways to protect personal data. They are becoming the tools of “digital rebels” defending anonymity and privacy.
This session is not only about challenges—it’s about opportunities. We’ll discuss how each of us can take part in the movement for digital freedom, defend our data, and help write new rules for the digital world. Because in an age where information is power, control over data means control over the future.
Discussion topics:

• Is true anonymity in the digital world possible, or is it a utopia?
• Who is to blame for data breaches—hackers, companies, or users themselves?
• How will the concept of privacy evolve over the next decade?
• What’s more important: public safety or individual privacy?
• What happens if all data becomes public?
• Can we create a perfect system of control that doesn’t violate privacy?

You walk down the street, and an invisible thread follows you. Every step, every word, every glance is recorded and analyzed. This is not a scene from a sci-fi movie—it’s the reality of our digital world, where your “digital shadow” grows longer and denser.
Governments and corporations use our data as tools of control. Location tracking, behavioral analytics, data leaks—all contribute to a world where privacy is becoming a luxury available only to the few.
But there are those fighting back. Technologies like blockchain and decentralized networks offer new ways to protect personal data. They are becoming the tools of “digital rebels” defending anonymity and privacy.
This session is not only about challenges—it’s about opportunities. We’ll discuss how each of us can take part in the movement for digital freedom, defend our data, and help write new rules for the digital world. Because in an age where information is power, control over data means control over the future.
Discussion topics:

• Is true anonymity in the digital world possible, or is it a utopia?
• Who is to blame for data breaches—hackers, companies, or users themselves?
• How will the concept of privacy evolve over the next decade?
• What’s more important: public safety or individual privacy?
• What happens if all data becomes public?
• Can we create a perfect system of control that doesn’t violate privacy?