In her mission to create a safe and secure Internet for everyone, cybersecurity expert Tarah Wheeler has won the US/UK Fulbright Cyber Security Scholar Award.
The Internet has undoubtedly improved the lives of people all over the world; however, as it’s grown, its vulnerabilities have also become more obvious. Today, corporations, government agencies, and individuals all run the risk of being cyberattacked. Tarah Wheeler, who joined New America as a Cybersecurity Policy Fellow in 2017, is set to embark on a new research appointment at Oxford University to explore the dangers of cyber war crimes. Supported by Fulbright, Wheeler will conduct research in conjunction with the UK National Health Service on defining cyber war crimes, and mitigating civilization bystander harms in nation-state sponsored cyberattacks.
“I’m elated to have been selected for the US Fulbright Scholarship,” Wheeler said. “Often, the hidden victims of cyberwarfare are civilians, uncounted in the toll taken by state-sponsored cyberconflict, and it will be an honor to help shine a light on how ordinary people are personally affected by distant conflict unexpectedly spilling over into their jobs, healthcare, homes, food supply, and even lives.”
Peter Bergen, the Vice President of Global Studies and Fellows at New America, congratulated Wheeler on her “greatly deserved” Fulbright Cyber Security Award on behalf of everyone at the organization. He said, “[Wheeler’s] contributions to cyber attack mitigation research has the potential to prevent real harm in the future.”
Meanwhile, the Coordinator of Cyber Security Oxford Katherine Fletcher, welcomed Wheeler, saying, “We are looking forward to hosting Tarah, as her work will nicely complement ongoing projects looking at cyber harm and resilience from a variety of angles—legal, sociological, economic, et. cetera—which we hope might lead to further collaborations.”
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