Insegnamento a.a. 2026-2027

Part 1: Cyber warfare and politics

• The technical anatomy of state-level cyber weapons and attacks
• Recent history of state-initiated cyber conflict, from early cyber incidents through Stuxnet
• Deterrence, signaling, and persistence theory in interstate cyber competition
• Attribution, norms, and diplomatic efforts to govern cyberspace (UN GGE/OEWG)
• International humanitarian law and the laws of armed conflict in cyberspace
• National cyber postures and strategies: United States, Europe, Russia, China, and smaller/competitive actors
• Non-state actors, proxies, and the private sector's role in state cyber conflict

Part 2: Government cybersecurity operations

• Incident command systems and national cyber incident response
• Public-private partnerships and private infrastructure in cybersecurity crises
• Open source software: risk or asset for government security
• Government technology development and the software development lifecycle
• Emerging AI threats to government systems and operations
• Hacking back and offensive/privateering approaches to cyber defense
• Effective security advocacy and organizational change within government
   

-     describe the key attributes of modern cyber conflict and warfare

-     offer examples of cyber conflict from selected countries

•    identify, research and explain a state’s approach to cyber offense and defense; 
•    explain multiple new governance approaches, operational tools or methods to address government cyber security threats; 
•    present a well-reasoned proposal for a new government cybersecurity tool or method; 
•    identify, research and explain a state’s approach to cyber offense and defense; 
•    explain multiple new governance approaches, operational tools or methods to address government cyber security threats; 
•    present a well-reasoned proposal for a new government cybersecurity tool or method; 

• Lectures
• Collaborative Works / Assignments

Students will learn foundational concepts of cyber conflict and government operations through online lectures and case studies. They will apply learnings during in-class discussions and group projects.

During a semester-long group project, students may:

- present an analysis of a particular country’s cyber offensive and defensive strategy to the class
- develop a proposal for a tool or method for addressing a common challenge of government cybersecurity operations and present it to the class for assessment and discussion.
 

To measure student’s acquisition of the above learning outcomes, student assessment is based on four main components:

• Group presentations (15% of the final grade). To assess the student’s ability to research and explain a state’s approach to cyber offense and defense; present a well-reasoned proposal for a new government cybersecurity tool or method to meet one of those threats. 
• Group project – Final report (15% of the final grade). To assess the student’s ability to synthesise research, collaborate on a comprehensive analysis, and deliver a structured, written evaluation of state-level cybersecurity strategies alongside a fully detailed implementation proposal for a nation-state tool or policy.
• Peer review of other groups (5% of the final grade): To assess the student’s critical thinking and analytical skills by evaluating peer work, providing constructive feedback on complex cyber threat scenarios, and identifying strengths or gaps in alternative security proposals.
• Peer review of your group (5% of the final grade): To assess individual contribution, accountability, and teamwork skills within a collaborative environment, ensuring fair distribution of effort and evaluating personal reliability in group problem-solving.
• A written, individual exam with (60% of the final grade):  To assess individual mastery of core course concepts, theoretical frameworks, and key principles of cyber offense, defense, and statecraft, ensuring each student can independently analyze threats and synthesize solutions without group support

Individual presentations (20% of the final grade). To assess the student’s ability to research and explain a state’s approach to cyber offense and defense; present a well-reasoned proposal for a new government cybersecurity tool or method to meet one of those threats. 
Individual project – Final report (20% of the final grade). To assess the student’s ability to synthesise research, collaborate on a comprehensive analysis, and deliver a structured, written evaluation of state-level cybersecurity strategies alongside a fully detailed implementation proposal for a nation-state tool or policy.
A written, individual exam with (60% of the final grade):  To assess individual mastery of core course concepts, theoretical frameworks, and key principles of cyber offense, defense, and statecraft, ensuring each student can independently analyze threats and synthesize solutions without group support

To be provided on the eLearning platform.