By Donavan Cheah (Senior Cybersecurity Consultant, Thales), in conversation with Anastasiya Kazakova (Cyber Diplomacy Knowledge Fellow and Geneva Dialogue Project Coordinator, DiploFoundation).
Reflections from the Geneva Dialogue Masterclass #1 (2026) on the Security and Governance of Open Source Software
Mirko Boehm, Senior Director for Community Development, Linux Foundation Europe
Free and open source software (FOSS) sustains global infrastructure but resists centralized control. Coordination occurs through dependencies, open governance, and self-organizing communities. These structures create opportunities for standards and innovation, yet limit direct policy influence. Effective engagement requires adapting to horizontal collaboration rather than imposing hierarchy.
Ambassador Asoke Mukerji, former Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations and distinguished Diplo lecturer
This keynote was delivered during the Geneva Dialogue course session on 4 December 2025......
Sofia Martinez Gomez, Cybersecurity Expert, AlixPartners
Earlier this year, Huawei organised the Cyber Security Forum at its Brussels-based Cyber Security Transparency Center, where I had the opportunity to explore the evolving landscape of cybersecurity regulation—specifically the NIS2 Directive—and share what it really means for organizations today.....
Anastasiya Kazakova, Cyber Diplomacy Knowledge Fellow, DiploFoundation
In 2017 Richard Haass called for a new world order 2.0 that is based on ‘sovereign obligation’, the notion that sovereign states have not just rights, but also obligations to others....
Igor Kumagin, Cybersecurity expert, Kaspersky
The appearance of new technology in our lives requires the re-evaluation of some basic concepts that have been established for a long time...
Xiang Zheng Teo, Ensign InfoSecurity
Anastasiya Kazakova, DiploFoundation
As users of numerous digital products – apps, smart devices etc. – we expect a certain level of security and safety while using those products, although we don’t know how secure they are and, what’s more, don’t often have easily accessible ways to acquire such knowledge.
Imad Aad, Technical Project Manager, C4DT
Everyone can develop software, and the resulting quality can vary considerably. There is no single ‘right way’ to write code and reach a given goal. Numerous technologies exist with increasing complexities. Like in all disciplines, ‘mistakes happen’, and software development is no exception.
Serge Droz, Senior Adviser, Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) and Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors, FIRST
What are vulnerabilities?
Many of us are probably used to the all too frequent messages like ‘Update in progress, don’t turn off your computer.’
