The SecDev Group

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The SecDev Group
TypePrivately held company
IndustryDigital geopolitical risk and digital transformation consultancy [1]
PredecessorAdvanced Network Research Group
Founded2006, re-launched 2017
FounderRafal Rohozinski, Robert Muggah
SuccessorThe SecDev Group,

,

Headquarters
Ottawa
,
Canada
Key people
ProductsDigital Risk Foresight [2]
Brands
ServicesDigital risk and resilience research and consultancy services
ParentSecDev Holdings

The SecDev Group is a Canadian digital risk and resilience consultancy. The group previously operated out of Cambridge University under the name of the Advanced Network Research Group.[3] SecDev is focused on the intersection of geopolitics and digital transformation and uses advanced data fusion and social science methods to map and forecast online and offline threats.

SecDev Group was co-founded by Rafal Rohozinski,[4][5] who was also instrumental in the development of Psiphon, a software application that allows people living in closed societies to access censored information.[6] Other co-founders include Robert Muggah who is globally recognized for designing data visualizations[7] and predictive platforms[8] to improve public safety and reduce police violence; and who is the executive director of the , a Canadian NGO that was spun out of SecDev Group in 2011.

In 2009 SecDev Group created a separate company - - to focus on cybersecurity solutions and products.[9] In 2017, Secdev Group was relaunched. In the process SecDev Cyber was renamed which specializes in vulnerability assessments and strengthening cyber security.[10]

The SecDev Group currently works with national and local governments, technology companies, international organizations and nonprofit organizations to minimize online risks and maximize digital opportunities. It produces research studies, data fusion software, advanced research and training materials for partners around the world that include the United Nations,[11] UNDP, OSCE and the World Bank [12] and tracks "the emergence of cyberspace as a strategic domain." SecDev Group was one of the founding institutional partners of the OpenNet Initiative and the Information Warfare Monitor.

One of SecDev's seminal reports is "Tracking Ghostnet," which was one of the first to uncover the details of Chinese actors' cyberespionage activities.[13] The report, which was conducted jointly with researchers from the University of Toronto Citizen Lab, led to dozens of newspaper articles and preceded the more thorough exposition of cyberespionage activities by actors in China, including by hackers thought to be associated with the People's Liberation Army. Research conducted by SecDev Group analysts has been featured in a wide range of publications, including the World Economic Forum,[14] Foreign Policy,[15] the Globe and Mail,[16] Open Democracy[17] and Wired.[18]

SecDev contributed to the development of Canada's policy on cyberspace that included preparing a policy paper in 2012 for the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs entitled, Canada and Cyberspace: Key issues and challenges, that framed core issues for Canada's foreign policy. It has also carried out experimentation and research in leveraging open source intelligence and social media in tracking risk factors for violent extremism online under the Government of Canada's Kanishka initiative.

SecDev is currently engaged in a number of initiatives ranging from supporting national governments to accelerate digital transformation; building data-driven early warning systems for international organizations; mapping violent extremism and online harms around the world; launching voluntary cyber-security defence groups to prevent hacking of public health facilities; and building city dashboards to improve recovery from COVID-19.[19]

References[]

  1. ^ https://digital.secdev.com/digital-foresight
  2. ^ https://digital.secdev.com/digital-foresight
  3. ^ "Advanced Network Research Group". Cambridge Security Programme. Archived from the original on 2011-07-18. Retrieved 25 December 2013.
  4. ^ "Psiphon Helps Iranians Stay Connected". howstuffworks.com. Archived from the original on 2013-12-12. Retrieved 25 December 2013.
  5. ^ Pilieci, Vito (25 April 2009). "The Ghostnet Buster". The Ottawa Citizen. Archived from the original on 2009-05-02. Retrieved 25 December 2013.
  6. ^ Ottawa exec's company aims to bring down 'Great Firewall of China'
  7. ^ https://www.robertmuggah.org/visualizations/
  8. ^ https://www.thecipherbrief.com/does-predictive-policing-work
  9. ^ "secdev – Complete profile – Canadian Company Capabilities – Industries and Business – Industry Canada". www.ic.gc.ca. Retrieved 2017-06-02.
  10. ^ https://zeropointsecurity.com/
  11. ^ https://preventviolentextremism.info/violent-extremism-line-drivers-evidence-and-way-forward
  12. ^ https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/bitstream/handle/10986/30584/AUS0000158-WP-REVISED-P160805-PUBLIC-Disclosed-10-15-2018.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
  13. ^ "Tracking GhostNet: Investigating a Cyber Espionage Network," The SecDev Group, March 29, 2009
  14. ^ https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/09/dark-side-digitalization/
  15. ^ https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/11/11/online-extremism-central-asia-islamic-state-terrorism/
  16. ^ https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-whats-at-stake-in-the-us-china-rivalry-the-very-future-of-the/
  17. ^ https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/author/robert-muggah/page/4/
  18. ^ https://www.wired.com/2012/11/syria-offline/
  19. ^ https://www.secdev.com/

External links[]

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