Highlights of the 7th Internet Security Conference: Global Collaboration and Emerging Cybersecurity Challenges

With the development of new technologies such as the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, and 5G, the boundary between cyberspace and physical space is increasingly merging, making network security a matter of national, city, infrastructure, and personal safety. Building a comprehensive security ecosystem to safeguard China's economic development and social stability has become a consensus in the Chinese cybersecurity industry.

On August 19, the 7th Internet Security Conference themed “Responding to Cyberwar, Co‑building a Large Ecosystem, and Constructing Great Security Together” opened at the Yanqi Lake International Convention Center in Beijing, gathering over a hundred domestic and foreign experts to discuss the latest global cybersecurity landscape, exploring challenges and responses from strategic, industrial, and technical perspectives.

Honorary chair of the conference, Chinese Academy of Engineering academician Wu Hequan noted that the arrival of the 5G era and the application of the industrial internet mean cyber attacks can cause far more serious impacts than before; cybersecurity has become an unavoidable issue for nations, societies, enterprises, and individuals. All sectors must jointly build a large internet security ecosystem, and developing the cybersecurity industry is urgent.

Israeli Parliamentary Committee Chair Avivi Dicht stated that cyberspace security is vital for national defense and social stability. After more than a decade of development, Israel now has over 500 cybersecurity firms and extensive experience in industry coordination, civil‑military integration, and technology export, and hopes to share this experience with China for deeper cooperation.

Russian International Information Security Association chairman Anatoly Smirnov said the global cybersecurity situation is not optimistic; a single country cannot build a secure cyberspace alone. Russia and China have a friendly strategic partnership in international information security, and must strengthen cooperation and coordination to better resist cyber warfare and cyber terrorism.

Singapore's Cyber Security Agency CEO Xu Zhixian explained that cybersecurity must be government‑led, with enterprises and citizens aware of its importance, driving industrialization. Without strong cybersecurity, a nation's digital systems cannot fully benefit from the digital economy. Singapore welcomes Chinese cybersecurity firms to join its ecosystem for more technical exchange.

360 CEO Zhou Hongyi emphasized that network warfare has become frequent; unlike traditional wars it is continuous, targets both military and civilian, and opponents are state‑level cyber armies, creating a highly unbalanced offense‑defense scenario. The biggest challenge is visibility. Over a decade, 360 has built massive security big data, threat‑intelligence systems, knowledge‑base samples, and a top‑tier expert team. Its “Security Brain” leads globally in vulnerability mining, APT detection, and threat‑intelligence sharing. 360 will co‑build a security ecosystem, share intelligence and knowledge, and empower more government and enterprise users, accelerating China's cybersecurity industry.

During the conference, 360 and Israeli parties reached multiple collaborations, including establishing a China‑Israel Cybersecurity Innovation Center, forming a 360‑Israel cybersecurity industry development fund, and building a China‑Israel cybersecurity technology collaborative innovation park.

China‑Israel Tech Innovation Center chairman Lai Youda said Israeli cybersecurity companies are eager to enter the Chinese market, and through capable Chinese partners, introduce Israeli new technologies to China, jointly elevating the Chinese cybersecurity market.

The 7th Internet Security Conference has held 12 international security summits, over 100 technical sub‑forums, with more than a thousand experts from over 30 countries delivering keynote speeches, promoting cybersecurity concepts and strengthening international exchange, becoming a barometer for China's cybersecurity industry.

The conference attracted nearly a hundred cybersecurity enterprises showcasing the latest research in various security sub‑fields. Over 20 technical sub‑forums will discuss key topics such as industry policies and regulations, industrial internet security, city security, 5G security, vulnerability mining, and cybersecurity talent cultivation.

The event also hosted the Innovation Unicorn‑Sandbox competition to discover and support innovative security teams, and featured a white‑hat hacker band performing live, showcasing the vitality of modern hackers through a music festival.