Microsoft Word - 241-243_Richards BN_2022 ConferencePUB.docx


 
 

 

 

 

 

 

KEY EVENTS 

On November 25, 2022, Professor Julian Richards, Director of the Centre for 
Security and Intelligence Studies at the University of Buckingham (BUCSIS), 
delivered his opening remarks for panel five of the 2022 West Coast Security 
Conference. Professor Richards discussed the importance of understanding cyber 
threats to build resilience, supply shortage in the market of cybersecurity related 
jobs, and the importance of bringing academics and practitioners together in 
cyber discussions.   

BACKGROUND 

Professor Richards noted that cyber continues to become an ever-more complex 
phenomenon. The range of professions in cyber security are rapidly increasing. 
It is a challenging field because, at certain levels, it can be very technical, 
requiring an understanding of the threats themselves and where they are coming 
from. However, to have successful managers in the business, we need a range of 
technical and non-technical people with a solid-enough understanding of the 
risks. According to Professor Richards, that is a large component of the notion of 
resilience: a significant and important concept to the centre of contemporary 
cyber security discussions. 

Professor Richards highlighted that some of the key elements BUCSIS takes into 
consideration are the skills and competencies required from those going to work 
in cyber related positions, focusing on a particular gap in the market: cyber skills 
from a managerial perspective. Many people now have the technical skills to 
delve into cyber security; however, not a lot of senior managers understand the 
concepts and the phenomenon of cyber or the basic language used in the 
cybersecurity space.  

OPENING REMARKS: CYBER 
RESILIENCE AND INTERNATIONAL 
PERSPECTIVES PANEL — 2022 WEST 

COAST SECURITY CONFERENCE  

Date: November 25, 2022 

Disclaimer: This briefing note contains the 
encapsulation of views presented by the speaker 
and does not exclusively represent the views of 
the Canadian Association for Security and 
Intelligence Studies.        

 



Julian Richards 

The Journal of Intelligence, Conflict, and Warfare 
Volume 5, Issue 3  

 

242 

In the cyber world, professionals find themselves having to become familiar with 
relatively new concepts in financial crime and money laundering, such as the role 
of cryptocurrencies or non-fungible tokens (NFTs). To ensure resilience against 
these threats, one must be able to understand what the threats mean, how they are 
presented, and what the strategies will be.   

Cyber threats sit on a spectrum spanning from the intensely technical and 
advanced side of attacks to more human centred threats. In addition, some threats 
are traditional, while others can be less traditional. Professor Richards expressed 
that, similar to how counter crime agencies used to discuss threats in the 1990s, 
“a very good strategy is to follow the money,” as crime, terrorism, and political 
violence are all underpinned to some extent by the need to move illegitimate 
funds around.  

To conclude, Professor Richards stated that cyber threats are not something 
people can completely protect themselves against. Instead, threats have to be 
mitigated or disrupted, and citizens must learn to recover from such attacks when 
they happen. It is not a question of whether they will happen but about when they 
will happen. Looking at theoretical terms is good, but combining that with real 
experience and every aspect of public policy is even better. Bringing together 
academics and practitioners is critical to achieving this.   

KEY POINTS OF DISCUSSION 

● As cyber continues to become a more complex and interesting 
phenomenon, understanding cyber threats and where they are coming 
from is at the centre of the critical notion of resilience.  

● Many people have the technical skills to delve into cybersecurity, but 
there is a gap in cyber skills from a managerial perspective, which is the 
focus of BUCSIS.  

● To make ourselves resilient against cyber threats, we need to be able to 
understand the concepts, how the threats are presented, and what the 
strategies are.  

● Cyber threats can span from technically advanced threats to more human-
behaviour centred threats.  

● Cyber threats are not something we can completely protect ourselves 
against. Instead, we need to be able to mitigate and disrupt them and 
recover when they occur.  



Julian Richards 

The Journal of Intelligence, Conflict, and Warfare 
Volume 5, Issue 3  

 

243 

 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non-
Commercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. 
  
© (JULIAN RICHARDS, 2023) 
  
Published by the Journal of Intelligence, Conflict, and Warfare and Simon Fraser 
University 
Available from: https://jicw.org/