Protecting our Achilles heel: How organizations and policymakers can tackle software supply chain risk

Dr. Alexandra Paulus is a researcher for cyber and defense technologies and head of the research cluster “Cybersecurity and Digital Policy” at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP). Previously, she led the establishment of the Cyber Diplomacy program at the technology policy think tank Interface, among other things. Alexandra Paulus wrote her dissertation on cyber diplomacy and has, inter alia, advised the European External Action Service on cybersecurity policy.

Why does software supply chain risk pose a strategic risk for societies, businesses, but also militaries and governments? In this talk, a think tank analyst will provide an overview of the geopolitical threat landscape. The presentation then focuses on, first, what individual organizations can do to meaningfully integrate software supply chain risk in their risk management. Second, the analyst will identify which actions policymakers need to take to not only mitigate the symptoms, but address the root cause of the problem.