Black Hat Cyber War Forum Addresses Escalation of Cyber Conflict in Modern Warfare

The Black Hat Cyber War Forum, chaired by Dr. Biljana Lilly, addresses the escalation of cyber conflict as a central component of modern warfare, where nation-state adversaries target critical infrastructure, economies, and private companies through cyber weapons and psychological operations. The forum aims to bridge gaps between government, defense, industry, and security leaders by establishing pre-crisis frameworks, playbooks, and communication protocols for responding to geopolitically triggered cyber incidents. Key discussions will focus on identifying missing preparedness elements, defining thresholds for response, and facilitating cross-industry collaboration, particularly among CISOs and U.S. government officials responsible for critical infrastructure. The event will operate under Chatham House rules to encourage candid dialogue, with three roundtable sessions exploring anticipation, operational response, and collective recovery from cyberattacks. Goals include building trust networks, creating open-source playbooks, and developing a stakeholder repository to streamline incident coordination. The forum is scheduled for Black Hat USA in August in Las Vegas, targeting both public and private sector leaders. No specific technical tools or attack techniques were detailed in the discussion.