The Secdev Group

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. 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 a... nd offline threats. SecDev Group was co-founded by Rafal Rohozinski, to improve public safety and reduce police violence; and Deidre Collings who is the executive director of the SecDev Foundation, a Canadian NGO that was spun out of SecDev Group in 2009. In 2009 SecDev Group created a separate company - SecDev Cyber - to focus on cybersecurity solutions and products. 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, 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. 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 ...Read More