Center for Applied Cybersecurity Research

Building a movement: cybersecurity clinics for all

Co-hosted with CEW&T

What does it take to build an international movement for cybersecurity clinics? What is different about defending the most vulnerable organizations from cyberattack? This talk will explore how the Consortium of Cybersecurity Clinics grew from a few isolated efforts to an international network of university-based clinics with members on four continents. Where should the movement for cybersecurity clinics go from here?

Drawing on research and practice, we'll also discuss what can be learned from the experience of UC Berkeley's Citizen Clinic, which helps non-profit organizations build the capabilities they need to proactively defend themselves against digital threats, enabling them to focus on fulfilling their missions and driving social change. Since 2018 the Citizen Clinic has worked with civil society organizations at higher risk of politically motivated cyberattack to provide the tools and knowledge they need to defend themselves online. What is unique about the cybersecurity environment for this sector, and what insights can we derive to help other public-interest and community organizations?

Bio

Ann Cleaveland is the executive director of the Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity, a multidisciplinary research center at the University of California, Berkeley. She also chairs the Consortium of Cybersecurity Clinics, which she co-founded in 2021. Cleaveland has held leadership positions in philanthropy, non-profit management, and industry. She previously served as interim executive director of the Berkeley Institute for Data Science and as the senior director of strategic planning at the ClimateWorks Foundation. She received an MBA in Sustainable Management from the Presidio Graduate School and a B.A. from Rice University. Her research interests include cybersecurity futures, digital risk communications, and governance of cyber risk.