Tag: CyAN
Hack the Planet? No. Just Hack the Tap: What exposed water systems tell us about the state of cybersecurity around the world
Final thought About the Author: Kim Chandler McDonald is the Co-Founder and CEO of 3 Steps Data, driving data/digital governance solutions. She is the Global VP of CyAN, an award-winning author, storyteller, and advocate for cybersecurity, digital sovereignty, compliance, governance, and end-user empowerment.
Board Member Spotlight: Adj. Prof. Dr. Greg Dzsinich, LLM, CIPP/E
Member of the CyAN Board (Paris) | Adjunct Professor at EMLYON Business School (Lyon) | Co-Managing Partner at Eversheds Sutherland (Budapest)
Adj. Prof. Dr. Greg Dzsinich is a legal expert with a strong academic foundation and an unwavering dedication to international cybersecurity and digital trust. His leadership across sectors and his ability to move between practice and policy make him a valued voice within the CyAN community.
Greg’s decision to join the CyAN Board was influenced by the association’s unique identity as a multidisciplinary, global trust network. His long-standing friendship with Jean-Christophe Le Toquin, CyAN’s President, also played a key role. Greg has always admired Jean-Christophe’s pure dedication and saw in CyAN a platform that aligns both professionally and personally with his values. For Greg, joining CyAN was not only a professional step. It was also a human one, grounded in shared purpose and collaboration.
Serving on the Board gives Greg the opportunity to engage with cybersecurity issues on a global scale while continuing his role as co-managing partner at Eversheds Sutherland in Budapest. He values the ability to combine strategy, legal insight, and international cooperation to help build a safer digital environment. Personally, he finds fulfillment in contributing to a network of experts who share a commitment to trust, integrity, and meaningful impact.
Greg believes that CyAN’s greatest contribution to the global cyber community is its ability to bring together experts from legal, technical, policy, and academic backgrounds. This diversity of expertise is essential for tackling the complex and evolving nature of digital threats. Within this trusted environment, members can exchange ideas openly, build knowledge collectively, and offer informed proposals to decision-makers around the world. In Greg’s view, CyAN functions both as a think tank and as a resource for capacity building, helping to raise standards and strengthen resilience across sectors and borders.
His passion lies at the intersection of law, ethics, and technology. With a background in criminal investigations, cybercrime, data protection, and privacy, Greg is particularly invested in ensuring that legal frameworks evolve responsibly alongside innovation. He is especially interested in how artificial intelligence, when guided properly, can coexist with human rights, ethical design, and democratic safeguards.
Looking to the future, Greg encourages CyAN to focus on expanding its policy influence and increasing its contributions to emerging challenges. He sees a need for stronger guidance on issues such as AI governance and international data flows. He also identifies potential risks related to AI-driven cybercrime and disinformation. As CyAN grows, he believes it must continue to build trust, respond quickly to technological shifts, and ensure that its not-for-profit mission remains well supported and well resourced.
Among the changes he has observed in the cybersecurity landscape, Greg is particularly concerned by the widespread use of disinformation as a weapon. He views this as a societal threat that is exacerbated by technology. At the same time, he feels encouraged by the growing public understanding that cybersecurity and data protection are not niche concerns. They are strategic priorities. This increasing awareness supports the kind of holistic and forward-thinking approaches that CyAN promotes.
Outside of his leadership roles, Greg is committed to education and bridging the gap between theory and practice. He teaches at Emlyon Business School and frequently participates as a guest lecturer or judge at international events, including the WhiteHat Conference at Boston University and the Northeastern Security Symposium in New Jersey. He enjoys the exchange of ideas that happens when academic research is tested against real-world challenges and when practical insights are brought into the classroom. This feedback loop shapes his work and helps him stay grounded in both rigor and relevance.
Beyond his professional and academic commitments, Greg finds balance in his personal passions. He is an avid cook and a competition sailor. Both pursuits reflect his appreciation for creativity, discipline, and teamwork.
What keeps him motivated is the potential to make a meaningful impact. He is energized by the intellectual challenges that come with blending law, technology, and policy. He also draws strength from the collaborative spirit within CyAN. For Greg, working alongside others who are just as passionate about protecting democratic institutions and advancing privacy rights is both inspiring and rewarding. His commitment is anchored in a belief that a secure and trustworthy digital future is possible, and that CyAN plays a crucial role in making it happen.
One idea that continues to guide his leadership comes from his time at Microsoft. When he joined the company in 2008, he was struck by a powerful metaphor. If we sit in one boat, we must not only row well. We must also remain in rhythm if we want to win as a team. This mindset has stayed with him. It reflects his belief that individual effort only becomes meaningful when it supports a shared goal and that true leadership involves listening, aligning, and moving forward together.
“What happens to Heroes?” EPISODE #6: The Unsung Heroes of the digital world by Didier Annet
The Psychological Impacts of Cyberattacks What I will call the “Heroes” Let’s Rewrite the Story of a Cyberattack – Alternate History of a winning scenario Excerpt From the Interview Typical identification factor: “Right reflexes, right roles — from click to crisis” About the Author Didier …
CyAN Mentorship Wrap-Up – 2025-1
CyAN is nearing the end of its spring 2025 mentorship programme. We extend a sincere thank you to our members who have agreed to contribute to the development of new talent entering the information security sector: Saba Bahgeri (Australia), Mohammed Shakil Khan (UAE), Mathew Nicho (UAE), Shantanu Bhattacharya (Australia), Bharat Raigangar (UAE), and John Salomon (Spain), and to the mentees they have worked with for 3 months.
In 2023, our then-Secretary General James Briscoe and I decided that it would make sense for CyAN to try and create a mentorship programme. CyAN’s mission includes contributing to the security, trust, safety, and resilience around the global information space. This involves helping to strengthen the talent pipeline for an industry perpetually struggling with identifying and supporting new professionals.
More importantly, mentorship is a way for CyAN members to share their knowledge and experience with the next generation. Many of us were fortunate enough in the early stages of our careers to benefit from established experts who took the time to help us getting started, whether by answering questions or making introductions to their own networks; it seemed only fair to give the CyAN community a way to do the same. As importantly, mentorship is a great way for those of us with long careers behind us to learn from fresh faces about new technologies, norms, attitudes, and methods of working. Every generation brings new experiences and approaches that can help us as mentors continue to develop our skills and ways of thinking, as we help our successors to leverage and develop their own qualities.
The 2023 pilot was an experiment in learning-by-doing. CyAN had a lot of opportunity to expand our membership and activities after its first few years of existence, and the launch of our mentorship project was just one of many ways to get members engaged and to raise CyAN’s profile across the industry. With 6 mentors and 7 candidates, everything about the pilot was improvised, sometimes from scratch, sometimes from borrowing from our experience with other such initiatives. Nonetheless, the pilot was a rewarding experience all around, with several of the candidates going on to join CyAN as active and contributing members. We look forward to the contributions the mentees will make to CyAN, whether through blog posts, podcasts, presentations, or other ways of teaching us about their own projects and knowledge, and in turn encourage all CyAN members to continue to support them as new members, with the same level of networking help and other professional support that is a hallmark of our professional community.
After a break in 2024 to focus on membership growth and consolidation, we’re now nearing the end of our second mentorship run. The cohort of candidates is refreshingly diverse, including both female and male students and recent graduates from the APAC and South Asia region, while 2023 was more focused on EMEA and North America. Likewise, our mentors represent the demographics of our growing membership, whether in terms of professional profile, location, or who they are as individuals.
As our first intake for 2025 starts wrapping up, we are already planning for a second group of mentors and candidates in the second half of the year. We’re in discussion with numerous other friendly associations and schools to identify promising candidates for the next intake, and look forward to bringing yet another group of fresh, motivated, smart faces into the organisation.
Welcome New Member – Sapann Talwar from Australia
Please welcome our newest member from Australia, Sapann Talwar
Sapann is a seasoned Cybersecurity and Risk management practitioner with 26+ years of industry experience. He specializes in safeguarding ‘Data’ against evolving cyber threats and has a strong track record in developing and executing security strategies for global MNCs across diverse sectors, including BFSI, Manufacturing, IT, and Software Development.
Throughout his career, Sapann has led the design and implementation of resilient cybersecurity programs, aligning robust security architectures with business growth and innovation objectives. His expertise spans IT and OT environments, focusing on risk mitigation, threat monitoring, and disaster recovery.
Renowned for driving measurable outcomes and cultivating strategic alliances as a CXO advisor, Sapann is adept at leading high-performing, cross-functional teams. His leadership ensures smooth security operations, proactive risk management, adherence to industry standards, and regulatory compliance. Committed to fostering a secure and resilient digital environment, Sapann continues to champion forward-looking cybersecurity strategies that enable enterprise-wide value creation.
It’s good to have you, Sapann! We look forward to the expertise you bring and enabling you here at CyAN. Don’t hesitate to reach out or explore Sapann’s profile to grow your networks mutually.
“What Happens to Heroes?” – Episode #5: The Unsung Heroes of the Digital World
The Psychological Impacts of Cyberattacks This is the fifth episode in our ongoing series about the individuals who, in a matter of moments, transition from employees to rescuers in the aftermath of a destructive cyberattack. These are what I call the “Heroes.” Let’s Rewrite the …